To Hold a Dove
by DaLantis
Summary: Christie Edogawa has been found by BO and finally has a chance to become Kudo again! With the help of some unexpected people, can she reclaim her former life? KaiShin - Warning: Gender Bender Story. Fem!Shin Fem!Hei Male!Ran
1. Introduction from the Author

Hey Guys and Gals,

I do not own any of the characters for Detective Conan/Case Closed. I am a huge fan of the show and wanted to write a story featuring my favorite three characters: Conan/Kudo, Kaitou Kid, and Heiji Hattori.

Warning, this is a gender bender story where Kudo and Heiji are girls and Ran is a boy. If you have a problem with this, don't read. Now please sit back, relax, and enjoy ;)

DaLantis


	2. Found

**Chapter One:**

**Found**

**CHRISTIE POV**

Christie Edogawa watched the dark clouds as they passed through the dimly lit sky. It was definitely going to rain today, she thought to herself. It was always on a rainy day that something bad seemed to happen, usually it had to do with Randy, her best friend and former lover. Ran, as he is called, and her, had once been together, laughing, spending time together and kissing like a normal average teenage couple; but that seemed like a lifetime ago, before she had been poisoned and turned into an eight year old child. Since then she had tried to keep contact with Ran as her original self, but one day she realized she couldn't keep holding him back from his own life. They ended their relationship on New Year's Day, a day that had only passed about fifteen days ago. It still felt like a lifetime ago even now and she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever be able to reclaim the life she had once led.

Sighing, she stood up and shook her head trying to erase such thoughts. They would only serve to make her depressed, but she couldn't help but want to wallow in her own self-pity. Pathetic, she muttered to herself.

"Christie", said a voice from behind her.

Christie turned and looked up at Professor Agasa who smiled at her, "I just finished the upgrade for your watch. You can now use it a total of five times in one day."

Christie smiled, she had been excited when he had told her about the upgrade. Finally, she thought to herself, maybe I can get that darn thief that evades me.

Kaitou Kid. Just the thought of him made her smile. If anyone knew she was thinking about him when she smiled like this, she knew they would think her crazy in love with the phantom thief, but she couldn't deny that there was something about him...something that attracted her and yet…he was a thief and her a detective, it would never work out.

Christie sighed again as Professor Agasa continued to chatter away to her about other neat ideas he had been thinking about trying. Christie would have just ignored him and continued to look outside to the now lightly sprinkling rain, but when she went to glance outside, something shiny and reflective caught her attention from afar.

Her eyes narrowed as she tried to use her glasses to zoom in, but when she did, she cried out and tackled the professor down just as a bullet whizzed past.

"W-what just happened?" asked the professor, his lab coat rumpled.

Christie scowled as she grabbed the watch now laying on the floor and put it on her wrist. She took off out the door, no longer seeing the reflection from the rooftop a few buildings over. Still, she ran as fast as her small legs could carry her. Behind her, she could hear more running feet. She glanced back only for a moment and saw Professor Agasa running after her and behind him, she saw walking at a slow pace was Haibara Ai, her close friend and the one formerly known as "Sherry" of the Black Organization "BO".

The Black Organization were the ones who had turned Christie from a teenager into a child, having originally thought the poison would kill her, leaving nothing behind to tie them to her murder. Sherry had also been force fed the same poison and now both were in hiding, because they knew, should the BO find them, they would not hesitate to kill them and all those who knew them. It was the main reason she never told anyone who she was willingly. Only a handful of people knew and she planned to keep it that way, for everyone's sake. Something told her however that, that idea would now be a problem.

Sure enough, when Christie got to the roof where a single shelling laid fallen at the roofs edge, she knew without a doubt it was the black organization, because she knew the shelling was a warning to her. They knew who she was and they were coming.


	3. Calling in Allies

**Chapter Two:**

**Calling in Allies**

Christie must admit, she didn't often panic, but she definitely was now. She had been dealing with murders since she was a child having attended them with her father who is a mystery writer, but she couldn't help the sheer terror she felt when she saw that singe shell casing laying on the roof. Behind her, Agasa was breathing deeply trying to catch his breath from having run after her. Behind him, Ai had walked forward, a similarly fearful look of terror crossing her own face. She knew as well as I that we were no longer safe. The time had come for us to move, but what exactly would our move be on this great poker game of life. The BO had already made their first bet and it was our turn to either call it or pass and allow them to move again.

"We need to tell the others now…we have no choice but to get the FBI and CIA involved."

Christie nodded, she knew her connections would one day become invaluable but she would never have thought it would be so soon and before she even had the cure for her current condition.

"Edogawa-chan" said Haibara stepping closer, "We need to get going or we will run out of time to make a plan."

Christie nodded as she glanced at Haibara. Ai was good at hiding her emotions, but even she couldn't completely hide the shivers that were going through her entire body.

Grabbing Ai's hand, Christie smiled at her, "It will be okay Ai", she said. Ai didn't say anything, but her hand gripped Christie's back as they headed down the stairs to the ground level.

"Go inside and start packing everything we will need. Tonight…we have to leave."

Agasa and Haibara nodded and headed inside as Christie sighed and sank to the ground beneath the buildings porch, the rain pounding above her creating an echo effect.

Pulling out her cell phone, she paused for a moment in hesitation. Calling them would mean involving them and she hated the idea of her doing that, as it would be leading to their possible death. Still…she needed the help and there was only a limited number of people she trusted.

Dialing, she waited patiently until she heard the click alerting her someone had answered.

"Ya?" asked a yawning voice.

Christie smiled at the sound of her best friend sleepily answering the phone.

"Harley…it's me."

"Kudo?" asked Harley in surprise, "What are you calling me for? Do you have any idea how late it is?"

Kudo laughed. "Sorry, I didn't know you went to sleep right at midnight princess!" she giggled.

Harley from where she was in Osaka glared at the phone but sighed.

"I am not a princess", she muttered as she yawned again, "Seriously Kudo what is wrong? You sound a bit upset."

Christie sighed. She should have known Harley would be able to tell right away that something was wrong.

"They found me Harley"

"…."

Silence was all that greeted Kudo for a moment before a string of curses and exclamations came across the line.

"How the heck did they find you?!" Harley yelled in disbelief and fear.

"I don't know but they have. I hate to request this from you Harley, but could you help me?"

"…You're an idiot Kudo", Harley said with disgust, "Like you really have to ask. I will be there as soon as I can. Where will you be?"

"Come to the Tokyo Police Station, I will be there meeting with some…friends of mine."

"Alright Kudo, see you there."

DCDCDCDCDC

**HARLEY POV **

When Harley walked in, she was amazed at the number of people surrounding Christie and Ai in the conference room. Looking around, she recognized quite a few familiar faces. Among those speaking to Christie were:

FBI agents Shuichi Akai and Jodie Starling, and the supervisor of the FBI task team, James Black.

To the side of them was the CIA and the only one he recognized was Hidemi Hondou aka the reporter Rena Mizunashi, who has been undercover for some time.

Along with police Chief Megure and his subordinates, Harley didn't recognize anyone else.

"Ah Harley!" yelled Christie with a smile.

Harley smiled back as she stepped forward and greeted her friend.

"Quite the party you have here Christie", she said looking around.

"Well, this is the only chance we have to really take BO down for good. It's time we call get serious."

"Tell me Edogawa", said Jodie as she leaned over the information that had thus acquired, "isn't this plan a large risk to you? Their target."

"I suppose, but I would gladly play bait if we could take these guys down for good."

"I have an idea" said Rena after a moment, "Maybe we should let them kill Christie",

Everyone looked at Rena who remained calm at all of their blank and cold stares.

"Relax, I don't mean let them kill her, kill her. I mean we should let it appear they kill her."

"Explain please", said James Black, his face showing he didn't find her suggestion likable, but he looked intrigued nonetheless.

"I happen to know someone who is a master of disguise. Someone who is very good at making the impossible seem possible. If we could get him to do it, then we could…"

"If you are thinking who I think you are thinking…it might work", said Christie with a nod, "although, he doesn't know who I am and I must request that he remain in the dark about the truth."

"You want me to tell him we are working with Kudo who is requesting his assistance?" asked Rena.

"Correct. Do not even mention that I, Christie Edogawa, am also working with you. He can't know, understand?"

Everyone nodded.

"Wait, who are you talking about anyways?" asked Chief Megure in confusion, "Kudo is working with us also? Why didn't I know that?"

Everyone face palmed at his obliviousness to the facts.

"I will contact him and get it set up. Edogawa, he will be coming here to discuss the plans. Will you be here or…?"

"No, but I will hook up a conference call by phone."

"Very well. Everyone meet here tonight at six, which gives you all three hours. Edogawa, be careful. Don't do anything reckless. Tonight people, we take down BO!"

Christie nodded to what Rena had said to her, but Harley could see it in her face, she had no plan to sit idle by as everyone else risked their lives for her.


	4. Favors

**Note*** _For this story, we will be playing it that Kid does not know Edogawa is Kudo and he hasn't ever met Kudo before either. _

**Chapter Three:**

**Favors**

**KID POV**

At exactly Six that afternoon, everyone wandered back into the conference room and took their seats around the large table. A few moments later, with everyone's eyes wide, Rena walked in, followed by the phantom thief himself, Kaitou Kid.

Kid had to admit, it felt weird walking into a police station dressed as his alter ego the thief, and being allowed in without anyone so much as saying a word against him. In fact, the mood in the building seemed rather tense instead of angry, as though he was merely a lesser problem compared to whatever problem it was they had called him for. Rena had refused to tell him very much, only that she had a favor to ask of him and in return she would do him a favor as well, whatever it was he wanted at whatever time. Such a thing made him very eager to know what exactly the police and the CIA wanted of him that they would even turn a blind eye to who he is and even go as far as doing a favor for him should he ever need one. It admittedly also worried him a bit.

Kid sat down at the head of the table beside Rena as everyone stared at him. Megure seemed angry to see him, but he surprisingly kept his mouth shut as Rena took out her cell phone and dialed a number.

"Kudo, we are all here."

Kudo? Thought Kid to himself, where had he heard that name before?

"Alright, I am putting you on speaker now", said Rena as she plugged her phone into a box speaker that was sitting in the middle of the table.

_"__Can you hear me?"_ asked a girl's voice.

"Yes Kudo-Chan", said Megure from where he was now leaning over the egde of the table, his eyes on the phone.

_"__Good. I assume Kid is in the room as well?"_

"Here I am! Mysterious Tantei-chan~"

Kudo was silent for a moment.

_"__Good. Alright, everyone ready?"_

"We are when you are" said Rena.

_"__The Black Organization is a group made up of a boss and several agents. Their main targets right now are Shiho Miyano aka Sherry who created the poison APTX 4869 and myself, who they first used the poison on. For this reason, we have called Kid in to help with this set up. Kaitou Kid, we hereby request of you to take the position of Sherry and contact Vermouth, who I will set you up a meeting with. She is a member of the organization who may or may not be on our side. You must not trust her, however, she may come in handy, so use her accordingly if the situation permits."_

"So I have to dress up as a woman named Sherry who I don't even know what she looks like?"

"_Rena has a picture for you. You are going to be dressed as a target, so be careful, they will not hesitate to take you out should the other members catch wind of you."_

"And what will you being doing Kudo?" asked Jodie from the FBI.

_"__While Kid meets with Vermouth, I will be watching. Should anything happen we will move in, but if not, I want Kid to get access to the main base. Vermouth should lead him inside so long as no one else from BO is there in the general vicinity. When inside, Kid, destroy anything you can on their computers. I will be entering not far behind to retrieve a specific file. When we move in, wait ten minutes before the rest of you follow. By then, hopefully most if not all the agents will be located there. We will have to work fast. Vermouth accepted the meeting for nine tonight. Kid, don't be late. As for her who she is, Sherry was betrayed because she was seen as a liability as a scientist, so keep that in mind when you play your part."_

"Alright", said Kid as he listened to this Kudo person continue on. Her voice was very soft sounding, but he could hear the real fear hiding behind it, making her voice quiver every once in a while. Such a sound did not belong on such a lovely voice, but it also let him know just how serious this situation really was and what they were asking of him.

_"__Alright people, the game begins at nine. Don't be late." _Click.

**CHRISTIE POV**

Christie was still shaking three hours later as she watched from her position a few floors up above the meeting place. Ai was behind her along with Rena and Jodie.

"This a temporary one, remember it will wear off quickly. That gives you at most an hour to get in and out as Kudo once you take this."

Christie looked at the small pill and nodded.

"I won't take it now, but should I need to face them, I will face them as myself."

Ai stared at her a moment before nodding, "Very well. Remember to try to find the formula. It may be our best bet at getting a permanent cure."

Kudo nodded as she once again looked below where Kid was waiting patiently. He was leaning against the building wearing a pair of black jeans, high healed black boots and a black hoodie pulled over his head to hide Sherry's face and hair he perfectly copied from the picture he was given.

"Sherry" greeted a voice.

Kid looked up and immediately responded.

"Vermouth", he said hesitantly, as though he was the one who was being targeted.

Christie listened in on the wiretap as they spoke. Kid was doing a good job in acting like Sherry and Vermouth it seemed was playing along. Christie wasn't an idiot, she knew Vermouth would be able to see through Kid's disguise, but she felt fairly certain that only Vermouth would be able to unless the other members looked too closely. It had been a risk she had taken in hoping Vermouth would work with them and it looked like the risk was paying off.

DCDCDCDCDC

As Kid and Vermouth entered the underground base, Christie followed behind, dressed in all black with a small backpack on her back containing clothes should she need them for when she turned into Kudo. Staying in the shadows, she could see Kid glance in her direction out of the corner of his eye. She knew he didn't know Christie Edogawa was involved in this case, so she knew he didn't know who she was, but she did know he could feel her presence.

As Kid followed Vermouth to the left, Christie went right. She knew the location of the file room, thanks to Ai and she knew she wouldn't have long before the other members of the black organization found her.

Going straight to the black file cabinet in the right corner, she began rummaging through until she spotted the file marked APTX. Grabbing it, she flipped through and saw both her and Sherry's files inside, each marked deceased and on the final page of the file, was the formula data that Sherry had used to create the poison.

Christie was just closing the filing drawer when the click of a gun and the cold of a barrel touched her head.

"Welcome back, Kudo Shinara"

Christie frowned but then smiled grimly as she turned around.

"Pleasure to be back, Bourbon."

Bourbon flashed a smirk as he lowered the gun.

"ETA?" he asked her.

"Seven minutes until they move in."

He nodded.

"Gin and the others are in a conference with the boss on the third level. I was on patrol. Your lucky tonight is my shift, else you would have died before you had even reached this room."

"Suppose I should be glad then that I met the secret police first", she said a grin.

Bourbon just smirked again as he noticed the file in her hands.

"Better hurry to your friend before they reach the computer room, else he is doomed to die."

Christie frowned.

"Why?"

Bourbon paused and all at once and grabbed her, slapping a hand over her mouth to make sure she didn't say anything as he jumped up and pinned himself and her into the corner of the ceiling. At that moment, Scotch walked in, another BO agent and looked around for a moment before walking over to the files and picking out two. With a final look around, he walked out, shutting the door behind him.

"Well, well…" muttered Bourbon, "who knew Scotch would take files against the boss's orders."

"Huh?" asked Christie.

"I have been watching Scotch for a while. I believe he wants to betray the boss to another organization known as MKO ran by some guy called snake. I don't know all the details yet, but the boss asked me to watch him."

"I see."

"Seems like we may have you a distraction for a bit", said Bourbon, "you have five minutes left. Find your friend and get out."

With those words, Bourbon left the room and Christie behind.

Christie paused and then grabbed the pill Ai had given her.

"Guess it's time."


	5. The Fall

**Chapter Four:**

**The Fall**

**KID POV**

Vermouth and I had just arrived at the computer room when a commotion was heard down the hall. Vermouth glanced at me and then back at the commotion.

"They may know you are here. Hurry and get inside, do what you need and then leave. I will go see what it is going on. Good luck…Sherry."

Vermouth winked at him before she left as she ran down the hall.

Kid sighed in relief when she was out of view. She made him nervous and not the good kind. Walking to the door marked Security, he opened it and closed it behind him. The computers were all still running, although the room had been vacated. He noticed on the screen, the last logged in username read BOURBON.

"What is it with all of these alcoholic drink codenames?" he wondered to himself as he began rifling through the system. He began hacking away, creating a virus he had learned to administer from a friend of his in the USA.

He was so deep in what he was doing, he didn't even notice when the door to the room opened. However he did notice when he was roughly grabbed and thrown into the wall, his head banging off of it.

"Ouch", he muttered holding his head as he glanced up at an angry looking woman with short red hair.

"Well, well, well…I would never have thought I would see Sherry again", the woman smiled, her smile sinister. Kid felt his stomach drop at the sight of it.

She drew a gun out of the back of her pants and aimed it straight at his head, "Finally I can kill you with my own hands. I hated it when I heard Gin had killed you, after all, what a boring story for our rivalry to end with…but this…this is sweet."

Chianti, as she is known, licked her lips happily as she leaned forward and whispered into her ear, "Die Sherry…knowing I was the one who killed your beloved sister."

Kid closed his eyes just as he thought for sure his life was going to come to an end, only to feel the woman collapse on top of him all of a sudden. Opening his eyes, he looked at the woman in confusion, before a hand grabbed her roughly and dropped her to the side. He stared up in surprise at a young girl around seventeen years of age. She had long flowing black hair and deep blue eyes. She was dressed in a pair of black cargo pants and a dark gray shirt. She stared at him a moment before grabbing his hand and yanking him off the ground.

"Finish whatever it was you were doing, but we need to hurry, they will be coming when they complete their execution of Scotch."

Kid only nodded as he went back to the computer, but he glanced at her every once in a while. He noticed the way she watched the door, as though she knew him and completely trusted whatever it was he was doing on the computer. Could she be an agent here? He wondered. She glanced at him when she noticed him staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"N-nothing", he said and went back to the computer.

He couldn't place it, but her eyes looked oddly familiar.

**CHRISTIE POV**

Christie would never admit it, but she nearly had a heart attack when she had walked in to find Chianti pointing a gun at Kid's head about to pull the trigger. Had he died, she would never have forgiven herself. After all, he was doing her a favor by acting as bait and hacking the systems. She could tell from the data he was putting in that it was a virus, created to destroy everything on their database.

She glanced at her watch. One minute until reinforcements would bust inside to take the group down.

"Done", Kid announced cheerfully as he got up and looked at her expectantly.

"Good, let's go, but stay in the shadows."

She knew she didn't need to tell him that, but she figured she would remind him while she could. Opening the door, the two of them slipped out and made their way down the hall towards the commotion. Staying in the darkness of the rafters above, she and Kid could see from their position that down below Scotch was being surrounded by most of the Organizations agents. Gin and Vermouth stood off to the side, but she didn't see anyone who looked like he might be the boss. Scotch was shouting at them with his gun raised, she noticed it was pointing at Bourbon who stood there looking rather cocky.

She was just about to step forward when Kid grabbed her arm and put a finger to his lips. He pointed down at Gin and she noticed he was looking up at them. She didn't think he could see them, but it seemed he felt them. Gin walked over to two of the other agents and spoke something to them. They nodded and took off.

"I believe they are coming to see if we are up here", Kid whispered.

Christie sadly had to agree with that guess. Kid grabbed her around the waist as he went to the edge of the rafters.

"I have an idea, hang on to me", he whispered.

She nodded as she wrapped her arms around Kid's waist. Her face became beet red in embarrassment when she felt his own arm wrap around her waist. His other arm shot his claw gun where it wrapped around another rafter higher up. The two zoomed upward, both watching down below to see if anyone noticed them. To their horror, Korn was looking straight at them. He shouted something and everyone turned to look at them. They were all just raising their guns when an explosion sounded. Gin and the others looked baffled as the alarm sounded. The agents fled towards the sound of the explosion while Korn glanced angrily in our direction, but took off with the others. Vermouth smirked at us as she too followed them and then only Bourbon, Scotch, and one other man remained down below, all three too involved in their own issue to really be concerned about anything else. Scotch pointed his gun at Bourbon who looked pointedly at the man beside him whose own gun was trained on Scotch. It was standoff and one that it seemed Bourbon was fully confident he would win.

**KID POV**

Kid groaned as his wrist began hurting from the weight of both of their bodies hanging from his claw. He had wrapped his wrist before in order to allow them a longer stay in the air, but the wire was beginning to cut into his flesh and he noticed he wouldn't be able to stay in this position for too much longer unless he wanted to lose all circulation in his hand. He glanced at the girl in his arms who was watching the show down below. However it was the two BO agents who were climbing the rafters that caught his attention more.

"We need to move", Christie whispered into his ear, having also spotted them.

Kid nodded as he looked around. The only place they could go was down, but that would mean falling a long distance, one that may end up killing them both.

"This Claw should be bringing us to the top of the rafters, shouldn't it?"

Kid glanced at her.

"Yeah, it's made to allow one person to rise. The weight of both of us however is making it unable to pull us to the top."

Christie nodded. He didn't like the look she had on her face. It looked like the face of someone who was about to do something stupid.

"Thank you Kid", she smiled and kissed his cheek.

He was about to question her when she grabbed his arm around her waist and pulled it away, giving her no support. He then watched in horror as she fell towards the ground.

**CHRISTIE POV**

I had a feeling that the mechanism wasn't working right when Kid and I stopped short in the air. I thought perhaps he had a plan, but when I felt a trickle of something warm run down my neck, I noticed blood dropping from his wrist above me. Looking into his face, I noticed it red from the pressure he was feeling and I knew if I didn't do something soon, either he would lose his hand or we would both lose our lives.

Two men were making their way across the rafters a little below us. Below them was bourbon, scotch, and the other man who she didn't recognize. She knew what she was about to do would be stupid and possibly kill her, but she knew if she didn't do something soon, both she and Kid would die instead. Glancing at kid, she smiled. He was a great rival and someone who didn't deserve to die, even if he was a criminal.

"Thanks Kid", she whispered to him as she kissed his cheek, his and her faces both turning red at the contact, but then his face contorted into confusion having picked up on what she just said. She grabbed his arm before he could say anything and felt herself begin to fall. She saw the shocked look of horror on his face as she dropped and she couldn't help but watch him the entire time, trying and most likely failing, to show her apology.

"What a weird way to die", she thought to herself, as she closed her eyes and waited for the impact.

She was surprised when instead of an impact with the hard concrete floor below, she felt someone slam into her from the side, making her trajectory change paths as she flew to the side of the room and landed against the wall; her body sliding down. Her back ached from the impact and she felt her right arm snap beneath her, but she knew she was alive as she felt her body fall to the floor, gravity having been shoved to the side until that moment. She opened her eyes in pain as she stared in surprise at Harley who was laying a few from her.

"You stupid idiot!" yelled Harley, "What the heck were you just thinking!"

Christie just sat there, shocked she was still really, truly alive. Harley must have noticed her shock because she got up off the ground with a grimace and crawled over to her.

"You alright?" she asked.

Christie just stared at her a moment before the question sunk in.

"Uh…yeah", she said.

She saw the police come running into the room behind Harley as they surrounded the three still having a showdown in the middle of the room. Christie noticed Bourbon staring at her, his face somewhat grim as he sighed and lowered his gun.

She remembered Kid all at once and looked up, but saw he was also gone. Harley followed her line of sight to the rafters and sighed.

"You are such an idiot", muttered Harley affectionately as she hugged Kudo to her. Shinara hugged her back before the tears started coming, the fear she refused to feel before when she had made the decision to fall, now making itself known as she buried her head into Harley's shoulder and cried.

"Kudo!" yelled Megure and Rena as they ran over to them. Jodie and Akai following not far behind with James Black in tow holding a very angry Gin who was sporting a bloody patch on his side where he had been shot.

"You alright?" asked Rena kneeling beside her.

Kudo nodded as she dried her eyes and stood up. She walked over to Gin who glared at her.

"This is for what a wonderful vacation I have been on", she said as she pulled back her hand and threw a punch. Gin stumbled but stayed upright, smirking as he spit out blood.

"And this…is for Sherry", she said as she punched him even harder, knocking him out flat.

Everyone stared at her in surprise before they burst out laughing. Christie grinned, but it was more in relief than anything else. Finally…she was safe; The Black Organization has fallen.


	6. The Cure

**Chapter Five:**

**The Cure**

We did get word that there was no sign of the boss of the organization along with a couple of agents, one of which included Chianti the sniper, who had vanished from the computer room before they could pick her up; as well as Vermouth and even Bourbon who escaped police custody.

Still, the fact that Gin and most of the organization had been taken down had Christie feeling more than a little relieved. As she handed the formula to Ai, she noticed she too looked relieved although still a bit angry. Chianti had been responsible for Ai's sister being killed. The very thought made Ai tremble with rage that she hadn't been caught. Christie swore to Ai though that one day they would catch Chianti and bring her to justice. It made Ai feel better, because she knew once Christie said she would do something, she always kept her word.

**AI POV**

Ai stretched as she took a break from her lab work. After she had been given the formula, she had started immediately trying to find the secret of unlocking the cure to turn Christie back into Kudo. That had been two days ago and only now was she finally making some progress, though still very little. Turning in her chair to refill her mug with coffee, she noticed Christie asleep on the couch in the corner. She smiled as she watched the small girl twist and turn in her sleep. She still was thinking over the conversation they had last night about the cure.

_"__Ai, how is it coming?" asked Christie as she sat down on the stool beside the work bench. _

_Ai sighed as she scratched her head in irritation. _

_"__No better than the last time you asked me about twenty minutes ago."_

_Christie laughed, "Right sorry. Felt Longer."_

_Ai sighed as she continued working. _

_Christie was quiet for a moment, in thought. _

_"__Hey Ai…"_

_"__What is it now?" Ai asked, her temper rising. _

_"__What will you do when you are cured?"_

_Ai paused. Of anything she expected Christie to ask, that was not it. _

_"__I-I don't know. I don't even know if I will take the cure."_

_"__What do you mean?"_

_Ai sighed again as though dealing with a child (which she sort of was)._

_"__It's different for me Kudo! You have a life to return to with friends and a career, but I…I was a scientist for an organization of assassins. I have no life when I return to being Shiho Miyano. My family is dead and it would be better if Shiho was to."_

_"__You are going to remain as Ai?"_

_Haibara nodded. _

_"__Agasa and I have already spoken about it. He has offered me a home here with him and I gladly accepted. My family is now you and Agasa…there is nowhere else for me."_

_Kudo smiled a sad smile as she nodded._

_"__I understand, but let me ask you something Ai…when the cure is made…what will you do with the formula afterwards?"_

_Ai glanced at Christie and then at the work in front of her. _

_"__I will destroy it…all of it, once I know that the cure worked for good."_

_"__I see. Well then, I suppose if that is what you want, I can't change your mind…but be certain before you do anything, alright? We care about you Ai, so don't hurt yourself if it isn't what you truly desire."_

Ai sighed and shook her head as she looked at the dear girl lying in front of her, sound asleep, curled under a blanket waiting for Ai to finish working.

"You silly child", she whispered to the girl, "I am happy, as long as I have you and Agasa…I could care less what happens to my life's work."

Smiling, she gently covered the girl up with another blanket and resumed her research with a renewed passion.

**CHRISTIE POV**

When Christie woke up on the couch later that night, Ai was gone from the workshop, more than likely in bed. Christie sighed as she sat up, wrapping the blankets around her tighter in order to keep out the chill. She thought back to last night when she had been speaking to Ai.

_"__You do realize when this cure is made, you will no longer be Christie Edogawa."_

_"__Yeah I know, I can't wait."_

_Ai glared at her and Christie backed up in a fear. "What?"_

_"__That means Detective Boys and everyone else who knows you as Edogawa, including Kaitou Kid, will no longer see you as you. You understand that right?"_

_Christie frowned. _

_"__I guess I didn't think of it that way."_

_"__Ran and everyone else who knows of Edogawa…how do you think you will up and vanish without chaos?"_

_"__Ah, well I already spoke to my parents…they will be coming to "retrieve Christie" to live with them in America. While Kudo travels back with them to Japan from the US."_

_"__I see…not a bad cover, but that still doesn't change the fact that Christie will be leaving for good. What about those who care about her?"_

_"__I am going to say goodbye."_

_"__Oh?"_

_"__Yeah…I just…don't know how."_

_"__I suggest you do it soon then Kudo, because I doubt you will even have a week before I find this cure and I will find it for you…I promise."_

_Kudo smiled. "Thanks Ai."_

"Thanks…Ai", she whispered into the dark as she sighed.

"Goodbye huh? It's not going to be easy."

DCDCDCDCDC

The following day, Christie stepped out of the house on a mission. A mission to tell the people she has grown to love as Christie Edogawa, goodbye. First on the list…Detective boys.

The bell rang just as Christie arrived at the elementary classroom. The other kids were chatting away as she spotted Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko in the far back.

"Hey guys", she called cheerfully with a false smile plastered on her face.

"Christie!" they yelled happily as they greeted her.

The class went on normally and it was at the end after the final bell rang, that Christie felt her nerves truly tense up.

"Hey guys, would you mind waiting after class with me?"

The others agreed, wondering what she was wanting. When all of the others kids had left, including the teacher, she turned to her three friends.

"My parents are coming to pick me up in two days. You remember when I said they lived in America?"

The kids nodded.

"Well they want me to come live with them. I agreed."

"What!" They yelled. "No!"

"I'm sorry guys", Christie said with a frown, "but my cousin Kudo will be coming in my stead. Please, if you need anything, go to her. She will be more than happy to help you. Consider it my final gift."

"Christie!" they yelled as they hugged her.

Christie laughed, but a small sadness settled in her as she said her goodbyes.

DCDCDCDCDC

Christie knocked on Ran's bedroom door. The entire time that Kudo has been Christie, Randy Mouri had acted as her big brother and protector. She was now far closer to him, she felt, than even when they were dating. It had been hard letting Ran go a month back, but she had felt it unfair that Ran wait for her when in truth, she had begun to feel only the love of a sister for Ran, rather than a girlfriend. She also knew Ran's friend Sonoko was in love with him and she felt it was only fair that she let that love bloom, especially if it could be months before her possible full return to society.

Sighing, she heard Ran call "Door's open".

Stepping inside, she plastered a fake smile on her face as she dashed to Ran and jumped onto his lap and into his arms.

"Ran nii-san!" she yelled in his ear making him grimace, "I am going to miss you!"

She hugged Ran around the neck, her feelings in disarray as she felt the tears she couldn't stop flow over. Ran hugged her close to him. He had heard last night from Christie that her parents would be coming to take her with them to America. He was saddened by the news, as he had grown to love the girl as a little sister, but he knew it would be best for her to go and live with her parents, even if it meant he would never see her again.

"I will miss you so much", he whispered into the crying girls ear, "but you will be happier with your mom and dad in America."

The little girl nodded on his shoulder, her face red as she felt his breath tingle against her ear.

"I love you Ran", she whispered, allowing her true feelings to finally say goodbye to the man who had at one time been her whole world, her only purpose for trying to get back her original body.

She jumped down off of him and ran out of the room, the door shutting behind her. If she had stayed, she might of heard Ran whisper, "I love you to, Shinara."


	7. Changes

**Chapter Six:**

**Changes**

Christie had said her goodbyes to everyone except one individual…someone she knew she would see again but not as Christie. Someone who she wondered, would ever look at her again like he looks at her now, as a respected rival.

The kid heist was underway, but Christie was not here to capture him or even get the jewel back. She was here to say goodbye and to do that, she waited on the rooftop she knew he would eventually appear at.

As she leaned against the railing and looked down at all of the crazy Kid fans cheering for him as he appeared in midair, she couldn't help but smile. All of her life she has dealt with homicides, but when she was introduced to the world of Kaitou Kid, her eyes were opened to a magical world so unlike her own. Kaitou Kid was magic, a being who made her reality turn into something fun and happy. With his rule of no one getting hurt or killed, his every heist was precious to her. She honestly didn't know how to thank him enough for giving her that feeling of life when she was always surrounded by death.

"Well, well…Tantei-Chan~, what are you doing here so early?" he sang with a smirk.

Christie turned to face the mysterious phantom thief and smiled.

"Here to say goodbye I suppose", she said with a bitter sweet smile.

Kid frowned at her, confusion evident in his eyes.

"Goodbye?" he asked.

"Yup", she said as she turned to look at the moon, "I wanted to just once more see the moons magic for myself before I left."

Kid really didn't understand what she was talking about. His frown deepened as he stepped forward and leaned against the railing beside her.

"You're leaving?"

"For America", she said with a nod.

"Sad", he muttered, "Now I won't have anyone to really compete with."

She glanced at his pouting face and smiled.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that", she said with a grin, "I heard my cousin is back in Japan. Kudo Shinara."

Kid turned at the name to stare at the young girl.

"Kudo…Shinara", he muttered, his mind going back to the girl he had met at the Black Organization take down. "So that had been her…" he whispered to himself. Interesting, he thought. He had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts, that when he turned once more to ask the little girl a question, he was surprised to see her no longer standing there.

"She took a page out of my book", he sighed, "So long, little tantei-chan."

DCDCDCDCDC

Christie laid down on the table in the laboratory as Harley, Ai, and Agasa strapped her down with restraints.

"Are these really necessary?" she asked.

"Afraid so Christie…We don't know the response you may have to the cure. I can say this, your body will probably be very weak for a long time after because of the lack of nourishment and hydration it needs for someone your true age. This is different than the prototypes, so be warned, this could kill you. Do you still want to do it?"

Christie nodded as she watched Ai come closer with the syringe filled with clear liquid.

"I am prepared", she said.

Ai nodded as she glanced at Harley and Agasa who looked on with concern. Harley especially didn't look very happy about the idea of Kudo dying, but she kept her mouth shut as she gripped the hand of Shinara in support.

Kudo flinched as Ai stuck the needle in and pushed the liquid through. The shot hurt like crazy, but Christie honestly was more concerned about what would happen after, when the drug took effect.

"Feel anything?" asked Harley, her face showing her obvious concern.

"No. Maybe it didn't…" Christie stopped when all at once a familiar pulse went through her entire body. She groaned as it happened again and again.

"Kudo?" asked Harley.

"It has started", said Ai with a frown.

Shinara's entire body shook and her skin became wet with sweat as the drug took hold. She panted in short, quick pants as the pain upped every minute. She felt like lava was overflowing in her body and more so, she felt like needles were sticking through her skin being moved around. The pain was so intense, she wasn't sure how she stayed conscious. All she was aware of was screaming. A scream so loud she was sure it would bring the house down and it wasn't until the screaming stopped hours later that she even realized it had been her who was screaming all along.

**HARLEY POV**

Harley sighed for the umpteenth time that night as she watched Kudo in her comatose state. After the screaming finally ended, everyone had been thankful until they realized Kudo's nose was gushing blood and she had lost consciousness. Harley had wished she had lost it sooner, seeing as how intense the pain had been.

"How is she?" Harley finally asked the exhausted Ai.

Ai glanced at her before sighing.

"Fine I guess", she said, "She is in a coma. I don't know how long she will be like this, but I think it is better for her body then the screaming had been. If anything, I am glad she is resting now at least."

Harley nodded.

"I have school tomorrow, so I will have to be heading back to Osaka in about an hour. Call me if there is any change."

Ai nodded as Harley looked down at Kudo. Finally, the eight year old was reclaiming who she rightfully was, a seventeen year old. The body she had now looked around thirteen, but at least she was getting older.

"See you soon, Kudo", she whispered.

DCDCDCDCDC

**AGASA POV**

Three days passed and Kudo had yet to wake. Her body was still that of a thirteen year old, but she seemed more healthy looking than she had the past few days.

"Any change?" asked Agasa as he peeked in, staring at the young girl who sat waiting at Kudo's side.

"Nothing. I expect it will be soon that her body will go through the final transformation into a seventeen year old. It is normal for the body to need a few days to recuperate, so more than likely the coma is a self-defense activated by her body."

"You think she will wake before then?"

"Probably, only to start the process once again."

"Is her fever better?"

"It's holding at 100 degrees. If it doesn't start soon, I will have to find a way to cool her body down or else this fever will mess with her immune system even more."

Agasa nodded as he closed the door and started to walk away. He had only taken about five steps when a scream had him running back into the room. Ai was holding Shinara down as the young teenager began throwing herself against the restraints, her eyes pinched closed as the pain shook her entire frame. The girl screamed like she was on fire and Ai flinched at the sound.

"I'm here Kudo-Chan!" she yelled to the girl, but nothing she said got through to her as she continued to scream.

Agasa went over and held the thrashing teen down along with Haibara, but both knew it would be a while before it would stop for the final time, if she even lived through it.


	8. The Awakening

**Chapter Seven:**

**The awakening**

**SHINARA POV**

When she opened her eyes, she expected to be in heaven. However she smiled in relief when she saw instead the familiar ceiling of Dr. Agasa's laboratory. She attempted to sit up, only to fall back again when a wave of exhaustion overtook her.

"Don't move around too much Kudo", said Ai who had just walked back in and was surprised to see the teenager awake.

"Ai? What happened?"

"You took the cure I made and it had some rather nasty side effects."

Kudo blinked and stared at her.

"Nasty how?"

"Well…you are seventeen again, but your body is extremely underweight and very malnourished and dehydrated. The pain put your body into a coma where you remained with a fever for three days before the second part of the process took place. It just ended a few hours ago, so I am surprised to see you awake."

"But, I'm me now right?"

Ai smiled.

"You were always you Kudo-Chan, but yeah, you look like you now."

Kudo breathed a sigh of relief as she closed her eyes, smiling. Finally, she was back.

"It will be a while though before you can do much of anything alone. The drug really messed up your body and you have almost no real fat or muscle. Once you sleep for a while, we will begin working on that. I already have a couple IV's hooked up to you to help start replenishing your water levels as well as your need for different vitamins and proteins."

Kudo nodded as she listened.

"Also there is one more thing…"

Shinara looked at her curiously.

"The drug changed your looks a bit…"

"How so?" asked Kudo, praying desperately she didn't have a third eye or something weird like that.

"Well, your eyes are blue still, but they have a silver rim around the pupil, no doubt from the part of the drug made up of an element called Silver Infer. It also changed your hair…you have silver streaks running through it now."

Kudo blinked in surprise at the news and looked at the long hair flowing past her shoulders. Sure enough, mixed in with the black were silver streaks. It looked natural and honestly, not that bad.

"Well whatever, guess it goes with my title of Silver Bullet that vermouth gave me."

Ai smiled, "Suppose so."

"I was thinking about an image change anyways when I came back", Shinara grinned.

Ai just shook her head in amusement.

"Hey Ai…"

Ai turned back curiously.

"Thanks"

Air blinked and then softened her smile.

"No…thank you" she said as the teenager drifted to sleep.

DCDCDCDCDC

When Kudo awoke the next time, she was shocked to see Harley staring down at her.

"Uh…hey", Shinara said feeling a bit like a fish in a fish tank.

Harley smiled.

"What?" snapped Kudo, annoyed with her face already, even though she had just woken up.

"You look so different", Harley laughed, "I like it though. Wish I could get my hair like that."

Kudo chuckled.

"Well it wasn't on purpose", Shinara said grinning.

Harley smirked, "Glad to see you awake. You had me scared for a while there, Kudo."

"Sorry about that", Shinara said smiling, "guess I scared everybody."

Harley nodded, looking oddly serious for a moment.

"You look pretty bad actually…it's going to be a rough ride Kudo."

"I know", Shinara sighed as she laid back, "But I can do it."

"Of course you can", Harley laughed, "I will help you too."

"Thanks Harley", Shinara smiled, "I don't know what I would do without you."

"You would die", Harley said nodding, but then laughed, "I don't think I want to joke like that right now."

Her smile turned serious again and Kudo frowned, seeing how badly it had truly scared her friend.

"Harley Hattori…Thank you."

Harley just smiled as Kudo once again relaxed against her pillow and attempted to gain the sleep her body so desperately required.

DCDCDCDCDC

**5 weeks later…**

Kudo stood up gingerly from the couch, her entire frame leaning against the walker that Agasa had made for her. It was a walker that served as both a wheelchair she could power control or be pushed in and a regular walker to use when she needed to work on her strength. She felt like a newborn baby, as weak as she is and the boredom of spending so much of her time eating, sleeping, exercising, and reading was beginning to get to her.

A knock on her door took her out of her unspoken complaints as she noticed Harley standing there smiling wider than she had seen her smile for a while.

"What are you smiling at?" Shinara asked curiously.

"I just found out they were having a kid heist tonight, here in Tokyo"

"And?" asked Shinara, trying not to think about the last couple times she had seen the thief.

"Aaaannddd, I have convinced Ai to let you out for the night to attend!"

Kudo just stared at her.

"What makes you think I would want to go there and have everyone stare at me in this condition?"

"I didn't say Kudo Shinara would be attending, I just said we could attend as us."

"So we dress up as regular people and hide ourselves?"

"Yeah", Harley said with a wide grin.

"Hmm" Kudo muttered.

She did honestly want to see the thief again and the idea of getting out of the house for the night sounded amazing.

"Alright, but make sure no one can recognize either of us."

"Done and done", Harley said as she skipped out of the room to get ready.

"What have I gotten myself into", Kudo wondered out loud, but she was also very excited about the prospect of seeing her thief again after such a long period of time.


	9. Deja Vu

**Chapter eight: **

**Déjà vu **

Shinara had talked Harley into taking her onto the roof of a nearby building. It wasn't the roof of Kid, but it was a place where she would be able to see everything, including his escape fairly well, something anyone could do if they knew what to look for.

Harley was dressed in a pair of blue jeans with red sandals, a red t-shirt and a black and red jacket. Covering her black hair pulled up into a lazy short ponytail was a red baseball cap with a black heart embroidered on the front. She looked like her usual self, but then again, not many people would notice her unless they met her several times.

Kudo looked down at herself. She was wearing white sandals with a pair of black sweats and a white tank top with a black jacket with the hood pulled up over her head. She also wore a pair of square rimmed glasses, adapted to be like Christie's, but without looking overly geeky and much more mature.

The chatter from the Kid fans below made her feel like she was reliving the night she had said goodbye to Kid for the final time as Christie Edogawa. Now, she was finally seeing him as herself, Shinara Kudo.

"Kudo, you okay?" asked Harley from beside her.

Kudo only now realized she had been spacing out.

"Uh yeah sorry, just tired still."

"Well that is understandable. Let me know if you need anything or if you want to go back."

Kudo nodded as she looked back at the place where she was sure he would appear any moment.

Sure enough, when the clocked tolled, a large blast of smoke arose allowing the magician to make his grand appearance.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" the thief yelled out as he began his usual rant of declaring his goal in stealing a specific jewel. Kudo's attention was on nothing else but the man in front of her wearing white. In fact, her attention was so specifically on him, she didn't even seem to realize that she had stood up and walked forward to the railing to get just a tad bit closer.

Harley came up beside her and smirked, "You look smitten."

Kudo blushed but didn't look away from the white phantom. To her surprise, he also glanced at her and smirked. He blew a kiss her direction and then vanished from sight as he ended his act to claim his prize.

"Guess he has gone after his jewel", Harley said with a yawn as she grabbed the wheelchair and rolled it over for Kudo who sat down in it.

"Yeah guess so", muttered Kudo as Harley began pushing her to the elevator. They had just entered it when a hand stuck through the door.

"Sorry, sorry", the young man muttered as he jumped in before it closed, "I was trying to hurry to catch up to you before the doors shut."

"Who are you?" asked Harley rather bluntly.

The boy laughed in embarrassment, "My name is Kaito Kuroba, amateur magician and huge fan of Kaitou Kid, a pleasure to meet you."

DCDCDCDCDC

**KID POV**

I don't know what it was about that girl when I saw her on the roof to the side of me, but for some reason something about her standing at the railing reminded me of that night that tantei-chan had said goodbye. I wasn't planning to escape as my true self, but I wanted to see that girl a little more up close. I wanted to know why she had come to a heist like this and stood on the roof staring at me like she was. I wanted to know…why my heart fluttered like it did.

So when I dashed into the elevator they were going down in, I felt kind of like an idiot when they both stared at me in shock and suspicion.

"My name is Kaito Kuroba, nice to meet you", I said with a smile.

"I'm…" the girl in red hesitated as she glanced down at the girl beside her who shrugged, "I'm Harley Hattori, detective from Osaka."

"Detective…" muttered Kid in surprise, he hadn't been expecting that.

"Detective", he said again a little louder and a lot more cheerful, "That is so cool!"

"Well thanks", she laughed.

"And you?" Kaito asked the girl in the wheelchair who was looking down.

"Uh, my name is Shin" she muttered.

"Shin…" he said as he looked at her. He knew that wasn't her whole name but she seemed rather embarrassed, or maybe she just wasn't feeling well; she did look pretty pale and tired from what he had seen so far of her face.

"Nice to meet you Shin-chan!" he said with a smile.

Beneath her hood, her face flushed red.

"A-And you as well, Kuroba-san"

"Kaito is fine", he said with a smile.

"Kaito then", she said and finally glanced up, if only slightly.

He was amazed though when he noticed her features. She was beautiful, but she also looked extremely pale and bony. He wondered if she was ill.

"Are you okay Shin-chan, you look ill", he asked.

"Ah, Shin just got out of the hospital today", Harley provided nervously.

"Oh and you came to a Kid heist as soon as you got out?" he asked with a chuckle.

He was surprised someone was so devoted to come even on their first day out of a hospital. Still, he was rather happy that she had decided to come, though he wasn't sure why that made him glad.

The elevator dinged as they reached the first floor where all of the police and reports were swarming the area.

"Ah Kaito!" yelled a girl who Shinara swore could have passed as Ran's sister came running towards them, "Where have you been!"

"Aw, sorry Aoko!" he yelled back, "I wanted to try to get a closer view of Kid."

"Geez", huffed Aoko in irritation, "You are such a nerd."

Kaito just laughed in embarrassment as Aoko turned her attention to Harley and Shin beside him.

"Oh and who are you guys?" she asked kindly.

"Ah I met them on the way back down, it seems they also came to see Kid closer. This is Harley Hattori, a detective from Osaka and his friend, Shin-chan."

"Shin-chan?"

"Yeah well…" he moved closer and whispered into her ear, "I think she is a bit shy."

Aoko nodded as she looked at the two in front of her who looked rather uncomfortable just standing there.

"There is a café a few streets down, would you like to go get some coffee?"

Shin looked up at the mention of coffee and Harley noticed it and laughed.

"Alright, I guess for a bit, it won't hurt anything."

DCDCDCDC

As they walked towards the café that Aoko had spoken of, Kid stuck close to Shin. As close as he could without being weird anyways. Harley and Aoko were in a large debate over the best type of police procedure, something that started when Aoko found out that like her, Harley was also the daughter of a police commissioner.

"She seems as bad as Aoko", whispered Kid to Shin who nodded form her chair. Harley was pushing her as she and Aoko argued and Kid who was on the opposite side could see she was getting rather annoyed.

"Uh, Harley-Chan, do you mind if I push Shin for a while?"

Harley paused and stared at Kaito for a moment and then looked at Shin who shrugged, saying it was fine.

"O-okay, but don't run her into anything, she is still not well yet."

Kaito crossed his heart and smiled charmingly at her as Harley turned the reigns over to him. As Harley and Aoko walked forward ahead of them to continue their debate at a louder level, both he and Shin sighed in relief at the quiet they were now experiencing.

Kaito laughed at her reaction.

"You can thank me now", he said smiling.

Shin smirked and shook her head. "Thanks genius", she said with a laugh.

He laughed with her and smiled. Something about her, he didn't know what, seemed familiar and just made him have to smile.

They finally reached the shop and Kid had to sigh in relief as he pushed her in towards a table. Harley moved one of the chairs out and then braced as Shinara began to pull herself up. Kaito noticed the sweat already developing on the girl's forehead and he could see it was hard for her to even stand. This only made him treasure the fact more, that she had stood for him when he had seen her on the roof earlier.

Harley lowered her as gently as she could into the chair and then moved the walker out of the way as she helped push the chair up to the table.

"Thanks Hattori", Kudo whispered and Harley nodded with a smile as she took the seat next to her. Kid sat across from Shin as Aoko sat beside him, across from Harley. Shin removed the hood from her hair now that they weren't surrounded by the police and reporters and Kid almost spit out his drink when he recognized her. Choking, Aoko pounded on his back as he regained himself.

It was the suicidal girl from the black organization take down!

Had she fallen? Is that why she was in the hospital? But hadn't someone saved her? He was sure he had seen someone jump and save her. Had that been Harley? He wondered as he stared at the two of them. That didn't explain why she looked so horrible though. Her skin looked an unnatural pale shade and she was weak as a newborn. Her hair and eyes also looked different than they had when he had last seen her. Just what had happened between then and now? Who was this girl?

He realized he had been staring when Shin blushed a red color and Aoko punched him in the arm.

"S-sorry, I just…was looking at your eyes. They are amazing", he said as he stared at the silver rims highlighting her pupil, "they look like the moon."

Shin's face went a dark red as she blushed and Harley laughed, also turning red. Glancing at Aoko, he saw even she had turned red.

"Idiot Kaito, you don't just tell a girl that! It sounds like a confession!"

Kaito just blinked. Honestly he didn't mind if it did, because it was the truth. She was beautiful, even in this state. He wondered what she really looked like when completely well and smiling. He couldn't fathom.

That night, he didn't realize it, but fate and lady luck had begun making their moves.


	10. Nightmares

**Note* **_Sorry this chapter is really short, but it does have meaning. Take a look ;)_

**Chapter nine:**

**Nightmares **

**SHINARA POV**

It was the middle of the night when Kudo woke up in a cold sweat. For the past several weeks she had been having the reoccurring nightmare of meeting the boss of BO and him shooting everyone she cared about before turning to her and shooting her. She knew they weren't real, but she couldn't help but feel like perhaps it was a warning to her to be on the lookout.

"Kudo?" asked a tired voice from the door.

Harley stepped inside. She had been staying over regularly every weekend to make sure that Kudo ate and exercised properly while giving Ai and Agasa a chance to take a break from "baby sitting duty" as Kudo had called it. Something she adamantly argued against, saying she was not a child and that she was in fact, an independent adult who has raised herself since she was four years old. To which of course, Agasa, Ai, and Harley all ignored her ranting and raving and watched over her anyways.

"You alright Kudo?" Harley asked again after she got close enough to see the sweat perspiring on Shinara's forehead and the short breaths she was taking as though having had a fright of some sort.

"Y-yeah Harley, just a nightmare. Sorry if I woke you."

"Nah", muttered Harley sitting beside Kudo on her bed, "I was awake. Had to go to the bathroom but when I heard a startled yell I wanted to come check."

Shinara didn't say anything to that and Harley just watched her a moment before slowly reaching out and rubbing her back gently.

"Care to let me know what you dreamt about?" she asked.

Shinara sighed as she turned to Harley.

"The night we took down the black organization, you know how the boss, Vermouth, Bourbon, Chianti, and a few others got away?"

Harley nodded, seeing where this was going.

"I dreamt they came and killed everyone and then they killed me last after making me watch my friends and family die."

Shinara tucked her head into her knees as she curled in on herself, shivering as she tried to control the sobs that wanted to come out.

"Hey, hey", whispered Harley in concern when she noticed the shaking. She wrapped her arms around her best friend and held her close to her chest as Shinara felt some tears escape down her face.

"S-sorry", whispered Shinara.

Harley shook her head and smiled.

"You have nothing to be sorry about Kudo. We all are to blame for letting those guys go and after all you have been through, you have a right to cry a little."

Shinara laughed but it quickly turned into a sob as she worried about what the future might hold for herself and those around her. It was a rare moment, but it was a moment Shinara needed to help regain herself. She hadn't grieved at all, no matter what happened to her after she had been turned into Christie, but now that she was herself again…she couldn't help but want to mourn the past and all she had lost to get to where she was now. She didn't know what the future held, but she sure as God is her witness, was going to do her upmost to make sure it was nothing like the nightmare she had just had. No one! Will die on her watch.


	11. The Return of Shinara Kudo

**Chapter Ten:**

**The Return of Shinara Kudo**

**3 weeks after the heist…**

"Well, you are definitely looking much better", said Ai as she checked over the readings she had gotten from examining Kudo. "Any shortness of breath still?"

"Occasionally, but only when I run or walk for a long period of time."

"Alright, any dizziness or weakness?"

"Sometimes, but usually when I close my eyes or sit for a spell, it goes away."

"Okay. Well, I definitely want you to take it easy. I think you're finally ready after two months of recovery to finally go back out into society, but don't push yourself. You still are prone to having blackouts, shortness of breath, and possible seizures if strained too far. It will probably take a year at most to get rid of those side effects and half a year at the earliest."

"Right", said Shinara with a sigh, "will do."

"Yeah right. If it was that easy to make you relax and take it easy without getting caught up in a case, you wouldn't have even got poisoned in the first place", Ai muttered as she walked away shaking her heard.

Kudo just grinned as she lowered herself down off the observation table. She was still underweight and tired, but she was already far better off than she had been thanks to her friends special attention.

"You going to school tomorrow?" asked Agasa who has just peeked inside the room where Kudo was tugging on her shoes.

"Yeah…" Kudo said, her face dropping the smile she had just been wearing.

Agasa stepped in further, concerned by her depressive answer.

"You nervous?" he asked stepping beside her where she was picking up her bag.

Kudo sighed as she nodded, knowing he had seen through her.

"I'm sorry…I shouldn't be bothering you with this when you have done so much for me already, but I just…"

Agasa smiled as he wrapped an arm hesitantly around the teen, "You are never bothering me Shinara", he said, "I have known you since you were a child and hid here in my laboratory with me to escape your parents crazed actions. Trust me, I have never and will never think of you as a burden."

Shinara smiled up at him and sighed.

"I just don't know how to face everyone. I have been gone for a year without word to anyone, except the occasional message to Ran and even now…I…I don't even know if I can face him. I lived with him that entire year as Christie but he didn't know it was me. How do I look at him now as Shinara?"

Agasa smiled a sad smile, understanding where her difficulties laid, but he was far more concerned about her health and psychological mentality more than anything else. This year has been hard on her both physically and mentally and he wanted her to having nothing but an easy transition back into the society that knew her so well before her disappearance one year ago.

"Go tomorrow, face them as though you had been away working on a great, difficult case and show them you are still the Shinara they all know and admire. Ran has known you since you were both babies, so trust him a little. He won't turn you away. He may be a little upset but it's nothing you can't deal with, right?"

Shinara thought over his words and sighed, nodding. She smiled and turned to the scientist beside her and gave him a large, but gentle hug.

"Thank you Doctor Agasa", she whispered and kissed his cheek as she would a granddaughter kissing her grandfather.

Agasa watched her as she made her way outside and he couldn't help but smile at her and touch his cheek. She had certainly changed in the past year, but he couldn't help but think, perhaps the changes were for the better.

DCDCDCDCDC

To say she was nervous wouldn't even begin to cover what she was feeling right now. Shinara Kudo sat in the backseat of Professor Agasa's yellow bug just around the corner from the school. She had been watching for the past half hour as several students made their way past the car and into the building without noticing the troubled teen.

"You can do it", said Agasa with a smile.

Shinara took a deep breath as she grabbed her schoolbag beside her and stepped out of the car. Dressed in a white button up blouse with a blue and black striped scarf matching her blue knee long skirt and black shoes, she made her way towards the school gate. Around her, kids stopped talking to one another as they stared at her as though seeing a ghost. Shinara ignored their looks as she wondered about the type of reception that would come from Ran and Sonoko, her past two closest friends. She wouldn't be seeing them now as Christie, but as Shinara and she was worried about if she could handle it if Ran rejected her.

Shinara stopped just short of the double doors and took another deep breath as she willed herself to keep moving, however before she had even taken another step, she heard the laughter of Ran and Sonoko coming from behind her.

Ran stopped when he noticed the girl standing in front of the doors, looking rather nervous about going inside. Was she a transfer student?

"Excuse me?" he asked her, "Do you need some help?"

Shinara froze at the sound of his voice speaking to her. She took another breath as she turned around to face him.

"Afraid it won't be the type of help you can give me", she said with the strongest fake smile she could muster.

She watched as his face turned to a look of disbelief, then confusion, then relief, then anger and then finally he settled on a look of concern. He began looking her over for any sign of an injury, but he remained where he stood, a few feet from her. The two of them said nothing to one another for several minutes until Ran finally sighed and stepped forward. He swung his hand and plopped it down on her head before shaking his head.

"You idiot…" he muttered angrily, a hurt look crossing his features that tore at her heart as he refused to meet her eyes. He kept his hand on her head for a moment longer before finally looking down at her. He took in her sunken cheeks and different colored eyes and hair. He also could see how thin and pale she was. Concern overweighed the anger he felt and he pulled her close to him, holding her against his chest as he breathed in the scent of her hair; the scent he had come to love.

"Welcome home…Shinara"

Shinara was shocked by his actions, but she soon found herself wrapping her arms around him as she smiled, tears coming to her eyes as she leaned into the embrace.

"I'm home…Ran", she whispered.

Ran just smiled as he felt for himself that she was real and she wasn't a ghost or a figment of his imagination. He had always presumed that Christie was Shinara, but it had never felt the same as it did now, holding her in his arms. Perhaps he had been wrong about her being Christie.

"Ran…" she whispered as she felt droplets of his tears hit her skin. She tightened her hold on him and swore she would never hurt him so badly ever again.

DCDCDCDCDC

**HAKUBA POV**

Saguru Hakuba was what someone might call, an uptight type of person. He didn't much like change or care for chaotic pranks and Kaitou Kid was someone who always seemed to create plenty of both. Saguru had been working with the division two task force to try to take down kid for over a year now and he was happy with just how things were. So when he heard the commotion outside from the reporters, he felt a headache coming on as he had the feeling someone was coming to change things up. What he wasn't expecting was the one to walk inside to be such a beautiful young woman and more so, not a young woman who he recognized from the papers; Shinara Kudo, a private detective in high school like himself.

The girl in mention spotted Hakuba and came over, darting away from the reporters as fast as she could. He noticed she looked rather pale and a bit shaky on her feet so he stepped forward to greet her and put himself between her and the mean-eating sharks behind her. At his leveled glare, they backed off as he brought her over to a bench in the corner.

The girl sighed as she looked up at him and smiled shakily.

"Thanks, I forgot what it was like dealing with reporters. Especially ones demanding answers."

Hakuba smiled, "Not a problem. Take your time and get your confidence back. Would you like something to drink? I believe they have a kitchen somewhere in this building."

"No it's alright", she said shaking her head, "I just need to sit for a moment."

Hakuba nodded but was concerned about how pale she was.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, but are you feeling well?" he asked.

She glanced up at him and a small chuckle escaped her.

"Just tired, sorry. Here I came to see if I could be of some help to you and instead I am the one being helped."

Hakuba raised an eyebrow at her words.

"Help how?" he asked, a sudden suspicion of her being Kid filled him.

"Well, I have had an interest in Kid's heists and wanted to try to lend my services."

He looked at her a moment and she stared back. If she thought he was at all suspicious of her, she didn't show it. Instead she looked rather like she was going to faint any moment instead.

"Forgive my rudeness by the way", he said all at once, deciding to be a gentleman until he knew about her identity for certain, "My name is Saguru Hakuba, a detective."

She smiled as she took his hand and shook it.

"Shinara Kudo, also a detective."

He smiled, glad he had been able to put the face to the name, although she looked different than in the papers. Still it had been a year ago.

"Kudo", he said as though trying to remember who she was, "I heard Kudo, the high school detective, vanished a year back."

Shinara sighed and nodded.

"Yeah I was…" she paused for a moment as though arguing something in her head before coming to a decision, "Yeah I was working on a case with the FBI for a year. I had a…run in with the organization we were after and I was poisoned. My body is trying to recover from it."

That did explain the absence, he thought to himself, as well as her current condition. He also did remember reading briefly on passing about a takedown of an organization in which Kaitou Kid had apparently helped out, but he couldn't remember it mentioning Shinara Kudo. Then again, if she was trying to take down someone as dangerous as they had sounded in the report, he could understand her wanting to keep her name on the low down, especially while she was ill.

"I'm sorry to hear that", he replied as he smiled and sat down beside her, "Please, tell me what you think about Kaitou Kid."

**KID POV**

I had been watching from my position near Inspector Nakamori for any signs of someone possibly recognizing me. Dressed as a police officer, I thought it highly unlikely but it didn't hurt to be cautious. I especially kept my eyes on Saguru Hakuba. He had a knack for sensing me, not near as bad as another detective I knew who came to mind, but definitely still an annoyance to my plans. Still, Kid wasn't one to let something like that deter him and he was thinking about going over and messing with the detective for a bit when he heard the commotion outside from the reporters. He watched curiously, wondering who was coming inside. With the show so close to starting, he wondered if perhaps the owner of the jewel had decided to show up.

He was shocked beyond belief when Shin-chan walked inside. She looked far better than she had last time he had seen her. She was walking, dressed in a pair of black pants and a red sparkly V-neck sweater. It looked really good on her, but it also still showed him how pale she was and how thin she still looked. Not to mention he noticed her swaying slightly. He had started to step forward to help her away from the reporters when Hakuba beat him to it, sliding himself smoothly between her and the people behind her and successfully dispersing them. Kid watched as he led Shin over to a bench where she sat down and looked to be breathing rather hard. It made him worried, seeing her in that state and alone with just Hakuba. It was dangerous, for him.

Getting a bit closer to the two within hearing range, he picked up on a little bit of what they were saying. Words like "Shinara Kudo" and "Organization" and "FBI" stuck out most, but the final thing she said had him angry and a little confused. She mentioned being poisoned by the organization, but had that happened before the takedown or after? Thinking back, it had to have been after, he surmised, because he couldn't remember her looking that pale when he had first seen her. Then again, he hadn't gotten a good look at her until that night on the roof.

"Shinara Kudo", he whispered the name, remembering tantei-chan saying she was her cousin. Interesting circle of life, he mused to himself, to say the least.

Bringing himself out of his own thoughts, he picked up on something else in the conversation that had him curious. A question about what the girl thought about him, Kaitou Kid. He knew from that night on the roof that she didn't hate him, but he did wonder what she was thinking about that night.

Shin seemed to contemplate the answer for a moment before smiling. "I think he is magical", she said and he couldn't help but laugh.


	12. Lady Fate

**Chapter Eleven:**

**Lady Fate**

**SHINARA POV**

"What do you think of Kaitou Kid?" asked the young Detective Hakuba.

She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. What did she really think of Kaitou Kid? She wondered to herself. He was funny, brave, charming, optimistic, somewhat annoying, egotistical, intelligent, creative, spontaneous and a whole bunch of other things, but if she could describe him in one word…

"I think he is… magical", she said with a smile.

A burst of laughter from a nearby policeman had both her and Hakuba looking up in confusion. The policeman didn't say anything, but instead turned away as he continued his 'observations'. Hakuba just sighed and turned back to her, but she continued to stare at the policeman.

'Could it be?' she wondered, yeah…she had no doubt.

The policeman in question glanced back at her and when he noticed her staring at him, his face blushed a deep red as he scratched his neck in embarrassment and surprisingly stepped over towards them.

"S-sorry about that", he said with a bit of an accent, "I noticed one of the reporters going at it with another reporter and it just struck me funny."

She could tell he was lying through his teeth, but she saw no reason to call him on it. After all, she hadn't come to arrest him. Merely to observe and assist the police with a plan, should they request it of her. As for Hakuba, she noticed him looking at the 'policeman' as though he had grown two heads. She just smiled as she glanced at her watch hidden beneath her sweater. The heist would begin in just a moment. Looking up, she was going to say something to the policeman to get him safely out of the room, but when she glanced up, he was already gone.

She smiled. 'Sneaky jerk' she thought in her head.

Because of this, it didn't really surprise her when the lights went out and the phantom thief appeared in a mist of smoke as soon as they came back on. She watched in amusement as the police surrounded him, but didn't move any closer.

**KID POV**

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" he yelled to the surrounding police and reporters.

He skimmed across the lot of them with his eyes as he found the location once again of Kudo and Hakuba who were both watching from the back with… What kind of expressions are those!

He raised an eyebrow mentally at their faces.

Hakuba looked rather bored and Shinara…she looked completely amused. 'Well whatever,' he thought to himself with a smile, at least this way they wouldn't be chasing him yet.

"Kaitou Kid! You will never get the jewel!" yelled Nakamori.

Kid just ignored the Inspector. It was the same lines every time and honestly, he hadn't come to match wits with the old man. He wanted to check the jewel to see if it was the right one…if it was truly Pandora.

"My apologies gentlemen", he replied as he bowed, "but I am afraid I will be stealing two things tonight."

The inspector and his men all frowned, confusion evident in their faces.

"I will be stealing the jewel and…" he looked back at Shinara Kudo who was watching him with curiosity.

Before anyone knew how it had happened, he had practically transported himself to the other side of the room. Hakuba moved in seconds closer to the doors, trying to block them in case the thief wanted to escape that way, so luckily for Kaito, this left Shinara wife open.

"I will also be stealing the heart, of one Shinara Kudo", he grinned as the police turned in surprise at finding him behind them instead of in front where he just had been.

The thief snapped his fingers and brought forth a single white rose from behind his back. Shinara stared at the rose for a moment and then looked up at him, a strange type of expression on her face that he couldn't really read.

Taking the rose from him, he watched as she twirled it for a moment in her fingers and a small, almost unseen blush crept up her face. The thief grinned that it seemed she enjoyed the little gift and show that went with it.

"Step away from her!" yelled Hakuba from his right.

Kid just smiled as he inwardly glared at the irrational detective.

"Apologies detective", he replied, "I have not forgotten about you."

Kid smirked as Hakuba scowled.

"I am afraid I must adjourn for the night. Tis' late and I must be getting on my way."

With those words, he dashed toward the jewel and threw out several sleeping capsules letting loose a sleeping gas. He knew they wouldn't all fall for it, but it would at least make seeing him much more difficult. He glanced back after he had the jewel to search for Shinara. He hoped he hadn't caused her to pass out. Last thing he wanted to do was affect her obvious recovery.

Not seeing her, he dashed up the stairs and onto the roof, where, to his surprise, she stood waiting with a slight smile and a guarded look in her eyes.

**SHINARA POV**

I watched as he entered the roof door. I knew from confrontations as Christie that this was where he would likely turn up at some point. It was the easier access point for him to glide off into the night. When he did step through the door, his face momentarily showed his surprise before he slipped on his mask of a smile.

"Well, well, my mysterious tantei-chan~", he said with a smile, "seems you found me out."

Kudo didn't say anything. She just watched him as he drew closer until he was a few feet away.

"You going to arrest me, detective?" he asked curiously.

She stared at him a moment. His expression told her he was curious about why she had come onto the roof tonight and honestly, she also wondered why she had. Did she truly like the thief? Could there even be something between a thief and a detective? Normally she would say no, but there was something about Kid, something she had always felt that told her he was different. There was a reason behind his actions and she wanted to know exactly what that reason was.

"Why do you steal?" she decided to ask bluntly.

His face contorted to surprise again before the smile returned, albeit, more slowly than it had the first time.

"Why do you ask?"

"You don't strike me, as a normal thief. So I wonder why…why someone like you with a policy of 'no one gets hurt' and as a thief who always returns the stolen jewels at the end…why you would steal?"

He was silent for a moment before he began laughing quietly.

"You are quite sharp, meitantei", he said with a smile, "but I am afraid I cannot tell you the answer to that question."

"Why not?" she asked, truly curious.

She had fought him so many times before as Christie, but she had never felt the need to really question him. She guessed it was because as Christie, she didn't think she could effectively help him, when she couldn't even help herself. Now though, things were different. She had her body and her life back on the track it should be and she would help him, if he let her.

"I just can't", he said, a slight shadow passing his features and she decided to let the matter drop for now to be discussed another night.

"Very well. I owe you a favor though, Phantom thief", she said, "I plan to pay it back at some point."

The thief genuinely looked confused, before all at once recognition crossed his features and he stepped closer to her. She didn't move back at all, but instead watched him curiously as he stared at her, harder than ever before. Luckily she couldn't see his features because of the hat and honestly, she wanted to keep it that way until she found out his identity for herself, fair and square.

"You really do look different from that night", he whispered as he studied her hair and eyes once more, "what happened after you fell?"

Kudo sighed as she thought back to that night.

"I fell and Harley rescued me. I had a slight concussion, nothing too bad, and a cracked elbow. All of which I have recovered from."

"How did your hair and eyes become like this though?" he asked her, taking a piece of her silky black and silver hair between his fingers and rubbing it.

"…"

She didn't answer him and he noticed she too had become guarded, the same as he had when she had asked him the questions about Pandora, his father, and MKO.

"Very well, seeing as how I have not answered you, it is fine if you do not answer me", he said, dropping her hair, but he didn't move away as he stared at her once more.

She stared back at him, noticing his face was completely neutral, though his eyes were shining intently into her own. She was about to ask what he wanted, being so close to her, when all at once he bent forward and with a gentle hand, brought her chin up and kissed her on the lips. It surprised her at first, but then she felt the softness of his lips against hers, the moistness that came with them and she couldn't pull away, but instead leaned into the motion. He deepened the kiss, to her surprise and to his surprise, she let him. His tongue went inside her mouth, exploring the areas within before finally drawing back, to give them both a chance to breathe.

He stared into her eyes and she stared into his. They both were colored a deep red and probably would have remained in that position a little longer, if it hadn't been for the door banging open to announce that the inspector had finally found his location.

"Get away from her!" yelled Hakuba who had raced up the stairs.

Kid sighed at the interruption.

He turned to the group behind him and smiled, "Seems I got both of my targets tonight."

He handed the jewel to Shinara, who was still watching him with a red blush on her cheeks. If he could, he would have kissed her again, but he figured it best not to tempt fate too much at the moment. After all, Lady Fate had already given him her blessing with just being able to meet her again and kiss her.

"Farewell officers…Detective," he then turned to Shinara, "Ms. Kudo. Until we meet again."

With a drop of one of his smoke pallets, he was off the roof and sailing through the sky before anyone even knew what had happened. Shinara just watched him go, a smile on her face as she touched her lips, thinking of the kiss.


	13. Food for Thought

**Chapter Twelve:**

**Food for Thought**

**KID POV**

Kaito Kuroba banged his head against the desk in front of him, exhaustion and excitement from last night's endeavors had made it impossible to sleep. He still couldn't believe he had kissed Shinara Kudo. Of course he had liked Shin as soon as he had met her, but at the time he hadn't realized she had been the famous detective of the east, a detective who far outshined almost any detective or inspector, Kid had ever known.

"What's wrong Kaito?" asked Aoko from where she sat beside him in the classroom.

He glanced up at her and sighed.

"Nothing, just tired", he said, but a blush came onto his face when he once again pictured her surprised look right before he had kissed those pink, soft lips. He didn't know why he did it, only that when he saw her staring at him so intently, he couldn't help the urge to just reach forward and truly capture her.

"Your face is really red, are you sick?" asked Aoko, the concern in her voice bringing him from his thoughts.

He shook his head.

"Nah", he said with a yawn as he noticed Hakuba staring off into space.

"Oi, Hakuba", he hollered to the teen in front of Aoko, "You awake over there?"

Hakuba turned to him with a glare as he stared at Kaito, the annoyance and anger in his face apparent to both him and Aoko.

"Hakuba-kun, what's wrong?" asked Aoko in concern.

Hakuba glanced at Aoko before sighing and shaking his head.

"Last night, Kaitou Kid took advantage of one of our detectives and kissed her against her will."

"Kid did?" asked Aoko.

Kaito paused and tipped his head.

"Did the detective say that?" he asked curiously.

Hakuba glared at him again but shook his head no, the expression on his face showing that he clearly wanted to say yes.

"No, if anything, she seemed almost…" Hakuba paused and shook his head, as though disgusted by the very thought he had just thunk.

"Seemed?" Kaito pushed.

Hakuba glanced up and noticed even Aoko was curious about what else he was going to say about the detective.

"Well, she seemed…happy, I guess", he said with a shake of the head, trying to clear the very idea from his mind, "I doubt it though. If anything, I think she was happy because she saw under his hat. She left the scene pretty fast and it seemed as though she was pretty confident about something. Maybe she gained a clue…still, if she had, I wish she would have told me."

"Worried someone else will catch Kid first?" Kaito joked with a grin.

Hakuba narrowed his eyes but shook his head.

"She is welcome to him if she can catch him, but maybe…" he froze as though just realizing he was saying his words out loud in spoken thought. He just glared at Kaito again before turning back to the board where the teacher was now beginning the lesson.

Kaito and Aoko just glanced at each other and shrugged, as they also began to prepare for the day of classes.

DCDCDCDCDC

"Kaito, wait up!" yelled Aoko as she ran to catch up with her friend who was walking home down the sidewalk.

"What is it now Aoko?" Kaito asked with mock irritation, but he grinned when she glared at him.

"D-do you have anything going next weekend?" she asked, a bit hesitantly.

Kaito paused in his steps and stared at her. "Why?" he asked.

She blushed a deep red as she kept her attention on everything but him.

"W-well, next weekend is the policeman ball and I was wondering if you would like to go with me?"

Kaito stared at her a moment before a realization dawned on him.

"Who all has been invited?" he asked.

"Well, the different regents of course, including Ekoda, and their families, as well as I heard Hakuba and a few other detectives are being asked to attend."

"Hmm", he hummed, "Do you know if a detective named Shinara Kudo is going?"

Aoko thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yeah actually, I think there was a girl by that name on the invite list. I remember now, I only paid attention to her because her name was listed right under Harley Hattori. Remember the girl we met at the Kid heist?"

Kaito grinned.

"Yeah I remember. I bet you Shinara Kudo is Shin-chan", he said with a smile as he glanced at Aoko from the corner of his eye.

Aoko's face showed her realization as she nodded in agreement, "I wonder why she didn't mention it before?"

"Who knows…maybe she was embarrassed about her health problems at the time?"

"Could be I guess", said Aoko.

"What health problems?" asked Hakuba who appeared out of nowhere.

Aoko jumped, but Kaito barely even twitched at the interruption.

"Geez Hakuba-Kun! Don't scare me like that!" Aoko yelled.

"Sorry, sorry", he apologized with a smile, "I didn't know Shinara Kudo had health reasons. Although that does explain her appearance at the last heist. She looked pretty pale."

"She said she had gotten out of the hospital recently. I wonder what happened", Aoko muttered.

Kaito frowned. He also was very curious about how that had happened. She was definitely the same girl from that night, but as to what occurred between then and the time he had first met her…he wanted to know, badly. The image of her falling to her death still haunted him in his dreams, even if she did live, she had very nearly made him at least partially responsible for her death. It didn't make him happy, but the idea of someone poisoning her after that, made him even angrier.

"Yeah Aoko", he said as they walked along the street, "I will join you, at the policemen's' ball."


	14. Ball Room Phantom

**Chapter Thirteen: **

**Ball Room Phantom**

**HAKUBA POV**

Saguru Hakuba tugged at the bow tie around his neck in irritation. The material rubbing against his skin made his neck itch and the tux itself that he wore made him somewhat agitated. He felt like a penguin dressed up for this stupid ball. If it wasn't for the fact that he was a special guest, invited by the Japanese prime Minister himself for the occasion, he wouldn't have even bothered to come. After all, it wasn't like he had any real reason to be here, especially when the one thing that did attract his attention was too consumed with the one person he couldn't stand the most… Kaito Kuroba, his classmate and the one he knew had to be the phantom thief.

"Kaito, why didn't you wear a rose to match my dress?" Aoko pouted beside him as they walked up.

Kaito just grimaced as he peeked at her bright pink, sparkly dress.

"I don't do pink", he said with a scowl, but Hakuba noticed the amusement in his eyes.

"However…" Kaito grinned and peered at Hakuba who took a step back, not liking the playful and sly look in the magician's eyes, "I think Hakuba here would match you perfectly."

Kaito didn't even spare a minute before he had snapped his fingers and pulled a delicate pink rose from behind his back and stuck it into Hakuba's lapel. The magician snickered at him and Hakuba ignored it, knowing very well his face had turned a bright red color as he looked up at Aoko who was staring back at him in surprise.

Hakuba glared over at Kaito who just laughed, but with a sigh, he stepped forward and offered Aoko his arm.

"Shall we have a dance?" he asked as he pulled her onto the dance floor before she could possibly refuse.

Kaito just watched them go with a smug look on his face that easily reminded Hakuba of Kid and even more so when Kaito sent a wink his way. However when he looked at Aoko who was now smiling in his arms as they danced, Hakuba decided he wouldn't call him on that particular giveaway, just this once.

DCDCDCDCDC

**KID POV**

Kaito sighed as he leaned in the corner of the ballroom, watching as police and detectives alike waltzed by, all speaking a thousand words a second as they spoke about their current cases to each other with enthusiasm. Kaito thought it all was rather boring, though he did enjoy watching Hakuba and Aoko dance on the floor, both looking rather flushed in awkward embarrassment.

His evening however took a turn for the better when he finally spotted the two people he wanted to see most walk through the double doors. He smiled when he saw Shinara Kudo and Harley Hattori smiling to one another as they made their way to some open seats at the side.

He would have been even happier if following them, Richard and Randy Mouri hadn't stepped inside, along with another couple he didn't recognize standing right with them. He noticed all of them heading towards the two detective girls and he sighed, realizing he may have to wait until he could make his way over to her undisturbed.

**SHINARA POV**

I sighed as I sat down and looked around the ballroom. Everyone seemed already caught up in the night's events, so much that I felt a little out of place. Harley had invited Toyama Kazuha to come with her. The two had been friends since elementary school, but just recently Toyama had asked Harley to become his official girlfriend. Harley could hardly say no, as she had always secretly like Toyama. Now the both of them were dancing out on the floor, side by side with Randy and Sonoko. Randy had originally invited me to come with him, but when Sonoko found out about the ball, she was so excited that Randy couldn't tell her no, seeing as how he was with her now and not me. I told him it was perfectly fine, as they both came together and have since continued to dance the night away. Richard Mouri, I noticed, was still drinking near the bar, deep in discussion with who Shinara recognized to be Inspector Nakamori. Sighing, she sipped her punch and closed her eyes, wishing she was home with her Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie collections more than ever before.

A tap on her arm had her opening her eyes in surprise to see a familiar face in front of her. The young man smiled and bowed with a flourish as he grinned up at her and offered her his hand.

"Can I have this dance milady?" he asked her.

She smiled and took the hand offered as she placed her punch on the side table and walked out to the ballroom floor with him. He gently took her hand in his and wrapped the other one around her waist as she placed her free hand on his bicep.

"You look beautiful by the way", he said as he glanced down at her lacey light blue gown, decorated with a single crystal at the top of the design for effect.

"Thank you…" she paused, a little embarrassed she was dancing with him when she had forgotten his name.

"Kaito, Kaito Kuroba", he said with a gentle smile, "Pleased to see you again, Shin-chan."

Shinara smiled at the nickname she remembered him having used that night so long ago when she had first met him at a Kaitou Kid heist. Looking up into his face, she was startled for a second when she saw the intensity in his indigo eyes…eyes that reminded her for a second of that night on the roof when the phantom thief had kissed her. Shaking her head of such thoughts, though filing it away in the back of her mind to reflect on later, she continued to dance with him, listening to the music and feeling the warmth of a body pressed up against her own. It wasn't surprisingly awkward in the slightest for her; rather it felt…right. She just smiled and leaned against his chest as the sounds of the night swept past and carried her away from reality.

**KID POV**

Kid was glad he was the master of a thousand faces, considering that when Shinara leaned against him, her face burying into his chest, he thought for sure if he was normal, his face would have been as red as a tomato. The feeling of having her in his arms as not Thief vs Detective, but rather Kaito and Shin, made him unexplainably far happier than he thinks it probably should have. Still, he wasn't going to fight his feelings on this, he was more than content to hold her forever.

When the music ended and the time had come for the ceremony to commence with the many guest speakers that he had no interest in listening to, he tapped her shoulder and asked her if she would like to join him for some fresh air. She agreed happily and he led her outside to the veranda where the moon was shining the brightest.

He leaned against the rail and stared up at the night sky. So many thoughts were racing through his head about tonight and about the future. Shinara who had stayed slightly back from the railing stepped forward to lean beside him, peering into face. He looked back at her, surprised to see her looking at him so intently. He smiled at her, but he was surprised when she frowned.

"What's wrong?" he asked, a bit worried that he had somehow upset her.

"You are smiling", she said, her frown deepening.

"And?" he asked, completely confused.

"And, you aren't happy. So why are you smiling?"

He just stared at her. How did she know what he was feeling? Nobody had ever seen past his mask before, only his mother and Jii.

"Why do you smile if you aren't happy?" she asked again.

He just laughed, shaking his head as he turned to her. The pleasure she brought him couldn't be compared as he stared at the beautiful person before him.

"I am happy", he said with a softer smile, his eyes taking her appearance in. However when he still noticed how thin she was and how pale she still seemed, his anger rose again. "I'm just…angry to."

"About?" she pushed.

He sighed. He couldn't possibly tell her she was what made him angry, her appearance and how she looked so weak compared to how she had been before. How could he tell her that, when the only one who honestly should have known about it, was Kaitou Kid.

Shinara noticed his hesitance and decided not to push him on it. She already had her suspicions that he could be Kid, but she wasn't positive and she hardly wanted to make him hesitant to be around her for fear of her finding out his secret when he didn't want her to know yet. Honestly, whether she knew or not, she wasn't going to turn him in, but she wanted to wait until he found that out for himself and felt that he could trust her enough to tell her his secret.

Kaitou grinned all at once and turned to her.

"Say, would you do me a favor?" he asked.

She stared at him, a curious glint appearing in her eyes, although, he noticed some hesitance to. He just smiled however as he knelt in front of her and took her hand, kissing it gently.

"Would you…"

"You are not going to propose to me are you?" she interrupted, a blush creeping up her cheeks.

Kaito glanced down at himself kneeling in front of her and then laughed. He laughed so hard he thought he would hyperventilate, but when he finally stopped, he noticed she was smiling down at him.

"Now you look happy", she said with a soft smile.

He just stared at her in awe and shook his head, standing back up as he drew her against him.

"Would you join me on a date tomorrow?" he asked in her ear.

She glanced up at him. She could see the hope there, but she could also see the fear of rejection there as well. 'He really was just a normal teenage boy, wasn't he?' she thought with a smile.

"Sure, I would be glad to join you tomorrow Kaito-Kun", she said as his face broke into a large smile, one that seemed to keep on stretching across his face until she though his face would burst from it. He spun her around happily and she smiled as she held onto him, not afraid at all that he might drop her or lose his balance as he jumped and placed them both so they were sitting on the railing, several feet above the ground below. She glanced down, but he continued to hold her hand and she knew should she fall, he would definitely catch her.

"I will pick you up in the morning then", he said, surprising her when a red blush had made its way onto his unbreakable face, "around ten?"

She smiled.

"Ten sounds great."

He laughed as he jumped down off the railing, his hand still entwined with hers as he leaned towards her and to her surprise, kissed her straight on the nose. With a snap of the fingers of his left hand, the hand that wasn't holding hers, he made appear a light blue rose. He smiled as he stuck it behind her ear and then gently lowered her down from the railing.

"Shall we see if the others are sleeping yet?" he joked, having noticed the ceremony talks were still going on.

"Yes, let's", she whispered.

Shinara hooked her arm with his, leaning against him as they entered the double doors, being quiet not to warrant unwanted attention. Kaito smiled as he patted her hand on his arm and then silently and methodically faded them into the background.


	15. The Peculiar Date

**Chapter Fourteen:**

**The Peculiar Date**

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara woke up around eight that following morning. She took a shower, brushed her teeth, ate a small breakfast, and even worked on some homework by the time ten rolled around. When the doorbell rang, she sped off, reminding herself not to be too overly excited as she opened the door and frowned when she saw not Kaito, but an older gentleman with a letter in his hands.

"Are you Shinara Kudo?" he asked her.

She nodded, curious and concerned as she took the letter he offered her. Without another word, the man turned and walked away as she shut the door behind her and took the letter inside to the table read.

_Dear Shin-chan,_

_I know I said I would be picking you up at ten, but something came up last night that led to an unfortunate affair. I am currently…indisposed. That being said however, I would very much like to spend the day with you still. If it wouldn't be any trouble, I have listed my address. Please come inside if no one answers the door. I will be on the second floor on the left. _

_If I am sleeping, please wake me up. I sent this to Jii early this morning, so I don't know if I will be awake or not when it reaches you. I know this sounds like a strange way to have a date, but I will explain when you arrive. _

_Until then, all my affection,_

_Kaito Kuroba _

She didn't spare a moment as she grabbed her bag off the counter and slipped it over her shoulder and headed out the door. While the letter didn't say much, she did know it told her a lot of things as well, something only she would pick up as a detective. That fact that he would be asleep at home was a big one. It meant something was wrong with him. That something happened last night meant something happened at heist he had hosted. The fact that he still wanted to see her…well that definitely made her happy.

When she reached the door of the house he had indicated in his letter, she knocked twice. When no one came to the door, she entered inside, hesitant as she was afraid perhaps she had the wrong place. However when she went up the stairs to the first door on the left, she opened it just a crack and was both relieved and worried to see him sound asleep on his back, laying in bed with the blankets pulled up around him so that only his head was poking out. His face was moist looking from where she could see it and he looked rather pale.

Reaching out a hand to his head, she was shocked to find it burning up. Without even bothering to wake him as he had told her to, she whipped the blanket off of him and was horrified to see a large white bandage on his side, a deep red stain leaking through.

"What the heck happened you stupid thief", she whispered aloud.

She was surprised when a hand touched her hair, gently caressing a few strands between his fingers. She looked down at the slightly open glassy eyes that were staring at her, a small smile on his face, barely hiding the grimace that came along with it when he shifted even an inch.

"S-sorry I'm an idiot", he whispered, his eyes once again closing as he fell back to sleep.

She was shocked he had admitted to her statement, but she figured it was more likely due to the fever he most definitely had. He probably wouldn't even remember waking up in the first place, she thought to herself, as she gently pulled the bandage back to see his wound. It was definitely a deep gash, but from what, she wasn't sure. It looked ragged, not like a knife and not a bullet, so broken glass or metal perhaps?

He shifted again, his eyes opening wider when he gasped in pain.

"Owe, owe, owe", he muttered until he realized who was standing in front of him. "Shin", he said with a smile.

She smiled back, but it quickly turned into a worried frown as she looked down at him. He smiled wider and ruffled her hair.

"Thanks for coming, sorry it didn't work out as it should have", he responded.

His tone was light but she could see he was pretty upset about the situation and about their date being ruined. She shook her head as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead.

"I'm not going anywhere, so ask me out again when you're ready."

He smiled, she could see how tired he was and how much pain he was in. Taking her hand, she gently brushed it through his hair, the dark curly mess making her smile. It fit his personality. Kaito sighed in contentment and leaned into her touch, her hand cool against his head.

"How did you get hurt?" she asked.

He opened his eyes again and stared at her a moment. It was obvious he was trying to decide on how to explain his injury to her. She wished he could tell her the truth about him being Kid, it would make things easier, but she didn't want to rush him if he wasn't comfortable with the idea.

"I, uh…, I tripped and fell down some stairs and crashed through a glass pane that had been in the stairwell. A piece of glass embedded into my side", he said, a light blush touching his cheeks in embarrassment.

She smiled. It looked like he told her the truth without some of the bigger picture coming into play in the incident. Gently caressing his hand with her own, she smiled down at him.

"Thank you for telling me the truth", she said with a smile.

He smiled back, but she noticed he looked slightly confused and guarded about what she had just said. Sighing, she decided to once again drop it for now as she instead turned to look around the room.

His room was a plain blue color with white trim containing a bed, a desk with a chair, and a single large life sized picture of a magician in a black tailed tux.

"My dad", he whispered when he noticed where she was looking, "he was a magician like me."

"He looks really cool", she said back to him, her eyes on the picture of the man whose smile reminded her so much of Kaito's.

"He was really cool", he agreed.

She looked back at him, noticing the small smile he gave, but it was the hurt in his eyes when he spoke of his father that told her how badly he must miss him.

"He died when I was eight", he explained, seeing her look.

She nodded as she glanced back at the man in the picture. A small gasp returned her attention back to Kaito who closed his eyes, his face and body taut in pain.

"Rest", Shinara whispered to him as she grabbed the pain medicine off the desk that was beside him and handed him two, along with a water bottle, "might want to take these first though."

He nodded and swallowed them quickly before relaxing back against the pillows. She started to stand, not wanting to keep him awake with her presence, but his hand suddenly clenching her own stopped her.

"Please", he whispered, his eyes staring intently at her, "Don't leave yet."

Shinara hesitated for a moment, unsure if staying would really be best for him, but when she saw his expression, the need for comfort and knowing that someone was there with him, she nodded and kneeled beside the bed again and held his hand.

"I will stay with you, so sleep."

He didn't need to be told twice, as he closed his eyes and drifted into blackness.

DCDCDCDCDC

**KID POV**

Kaito opened his eyes, blinking as the world came back into focus. His entire body hurt and he had a horrible headache. He was still a bit hot feeling, but not nearly as on fire as he had felt before when it seemed his body had been melting from the inside out. He started to sit up when a hand in his own stopped him. He stared down in surprise to see Shinara laying asleep on the edge of his bed, her hand still gripping his as he remembered her having done so hours before. He smiled at her peaceful face and ran a hand through her black and silver hair, but then he frowned when he remembered his show of weakness last night. Why had he asked her to stay with him! He berated himself mentally. 'Such an idiot!'

He sighed as he slowly sat up, the pain in his side aching, but not as stabbing as it had been. He glanced at the clock on his dresser and was surprised to see it was already three in the afternoon. She had been here for five hours with him.

"Shin", he whispered, knowing she was probably going to hurt soon if she didn't move out of that position, "Shin-chan."

She opened her eyes, a quiet moan reaching his ears when she moved her legs. She glanced up seeing him awake and watching her before she jumped from the floor, her face red from having fallen asleep on his bed.

"S-sorry", she whispered, not making eye contact with him.

He laughed, "No, I should be thanking you. I don't think I could have slept as well as I did unless you were here with me."

She grinned at his words and sat on the edge of the bed beside him.

"First date and I am already in your bedroom, quite a charmer", she said with a smile.

He stared at her a moment, shocked, before busting out laughing, holding his side as laughing made the injury hurt worse. Still, he hadn't expected her to make a joke like that.

"I don't think this really counts as a date", he said with a cheesy grin, "but I promise the next time I invite you out, it will be done right."

She blushed, "I will hold you to that, Kaito Kuroba."

"You have my word, Shinara Kudo."

Kaito laid back against the wall as Shinara snuggled into his un-injured side on the bed. He placed his chin on her head as he held her to him, his arm wrapped around her waist. The two of them may not have gotten to go out on the town, but they were both quite happy with this peculiar dates ending, tucked together in each other's arms.


	16. Kidnapped

**Chapter Fifteen:**

**Kidnapped **

**SHINARA POV**

It's been a month since she last saw Kaito. She had been thinking about him, but school and work had kept her busy to the point she hardly even had time for herself let alone anyone else. With makeup work still abundant and cases popping up left and right, she was growing more and more anxious for summer vacation to be here before her senior year. She wasn't expecting however to start said vacation a couple weeks early when Harley called her up requesting help with a case. With more makeup homework added to her growing list of things to do, she got on a train to and started out to her friend in Osaka whom she also hadn't seen in a great while.

That's why when she woke up in a dingy basement with hands tied behind her back, she was shocked to find she had no memory of anything that occurred after she had left for Osaka. She couldn't even remember being knocked out.

Looking around, she noticed a bench in the corner of the room, as well as what looked to be several different pairs of chains on the walls. The floors were dirt covered and the room smelt of mold and decay. It was dark inside so she couldn't see all the corners of the surrounding area, but she knew from where laid on the floor, a small puddle of blood beneath her, this wasn't a good place to be.

"Your awake", said a voice from the doorway.

She turned to see who had kidnapped her, but she was even more surprised when the man threw inside the very person she had just been trying to remember about, Harley Hattori. Harley landed roughly beside her, her head bleeding much like Kudo's was, but Harley was still unconscious, her hands also roughly bound behind her with what looked to be tie-ties which were cutting into her wrist a bit.

"Thought you might want some company", the man said with a laugh and walked back out, closing the door behind him before she could even really see his face. Whatever was happening, she was scared that there may not be anyone who could possibly find them.

**KID POV**

Kaito stared at the TV in shock and anger when it declared that Detectives Shinara Kudo and Harley Hattori had gone missing after working on a case involving the kidnapping of several children, ranging from ages three to sixteen. He wasn't a detective, but there was no way he was going to not check into this. Even if it meant dragging Hakuba into it, he was going to get to the bottom of that kidnapping and find Shin and Harley before it was too late.

Grabbing his phone, he dialed the number for his mom who was currently at work.

"I won't be home for a while, something has come up. I will be careful. Yeah. Love you. Bye."

His side still hurt a bit from where he had slammed into the glass pane a month back. He had been on a heist with the police chasing him when Hakuba had gotten lucky and got a hand on his cape. However it had made both of them lose their footing and go rolling down the stairs and through the window, seven stories above the ground. Kaito had managed to save both himself and Hakuba from falling, but at the price of his side being cut open with a piece of broken glass and Hakuba slicing up his left arm. Needless to say, Hakuba didn't feel much like arresting him after that and they both went their separate ways, with the detective now fortunately, owing him a favor.

"Hakuba, its Kid", he said into the phone he had bought especially for use as Kid. It was untraceable, he made sure of it and if he wanted to be certain Shin was found safely, he knew he would need to go to him to get help as Kid and not Kaito. "It's time for you to cash in for that favor you owe me."

DCDCDCDCDC

Kaito thumped his foot in agitation as he waited for the detective to arrive. He was dressed as a young man with red hair, green eyes, and pale skin with freckles. He was wearing a green sweater with tan khakis and a pair of brown shoes. He looked to be around 21 or 22 years old, but he wanted to be sure he could fool the detective with his disguise, so he even added a pair of square rimmed glasses as well.

"Waited long?" asked a voice.

Kaito glanced up to see Hakuba standing there, his eyes showing he clearly wasn't happy about being here, whether he owed one to Kid or not.

"Not long", Kaito said in an Osaka accent, "Call me Akira Asano."

"Very well Asano-san, shall we get to business?" Hakuba asked as he sat down in the booth across from Kid. "What is it you want from me exactly?"

"I need you to locate a kidnapper and his victims", Kaito said, his words having the reaction he figured they would have. Hakuba looked at him like he was crazy.

"Come again?" Hakuba asked, not sure he heard him right.

"You have seen the reports on television about the kidnappings recently correct?" Kaito asked.

Hakuba nodded.

"I want you to find the kidnapper and rescue his victims."

Hakuba narrowed his eyes.

"Why does a case like this concern you, Kaitou Kid?"

Kaito stared at him a moment before sighing.

"I know a couple of the kidnapped victims", he said as he leaned forward and took a sip of the hot chocolate he had ordered that was sitting in front of him, "And I am not a detective, so I need your help in order to find them."

Hakuba stared at him again, thoughts obviously running all through his mind before Hakuba sighed and placed his elbow on the table and his head in his hand, his eyes watching Kid as though he was a book with several thousand pages and one of which was just newly discovered.

"Very well", Hakuba agreed, "I accept. However I will need assistance."

"I told you, I am not a detective, but I am a thief. Tell me what you need and I will do it."

Hakuba stared at him again as though trying to understand a different meaning in the words, but when he could not find one, he nodded.

"Very well. I will head to Osaka in the morning. Meet me at the front of the police station there, I will be having a word with the chief of police Ginshiro Kazuha. Sound alright?"

Kaito nodded and stretched out his hand.

"Truce, for now until their rescued and home safe."

Hakuba stared at the outstretched hand before conceding. "Truce then", and they shook on it.

**SHINARA POV**

Harley groaned, her eyes opening just a crack in the dull light, just enough to make out the anxious and concerned face of Shinara Kudo in front of her.

"Kudo?" she asked.

"Yeah, take it easy. I think you might have a slight concussion."

Harley didn't say anything, but she agreed right away when the nausea hit. She breathed easily, trying to keep it down as she opened her eyes again and looked around.

"What happened?"

"I was kind of hoping you could tell me that", said Kudo with a sigh, "Cause it seems I can't remember anything after getting on the train to Osaka to meet you for the case."

"I…" Harley shook her head lightly, also trying to remember, "I can't seem to recall much from the last twenty four hours either. I remember calling you and you saying you would come help and then…nothing really. I think I went somewhere but I can't remember where."

"It should come back to us, it might be a side effect of the drug that knocked us out."

"I hope so, I hate not knowing things", Harley muttered darkly.

Shinara had to agree, it wasn't a particular favorite of hers either.

"You think someone will find us?"

"Maybe, but I will do everything I can to get us out of here so they don't have to look very hard."

Harley nodded in agreement, just as the door opened revealing their kidnapper?! He wore a pair of black pants and a black jacket with a black shirt underneath. He had black shoes on and black gloves, as well as a mask that was white with a red painted on smile and black painted on dots for eyes. He stared at them.

"Night baron", whispered Kudo, recognizing the outfit.

The night baron stared at the two from behind his mask, but he didn't reply as he stepped inside.

"What do you want?" asked Kudo, nervous of the thief.

Unlike Kaitou Kid, Night Baron was a known thief and killer who didn't hesitate to use whatever means and forces he had at his disposal to get what he wanted, that included kidnapping, it seemed. Then again, something felt off about him being here and Kudo didn't understand what that was until she noticed the figure behind the night baron. A woman with a gun pointing it at his head. She was small and petite looking, but her face was scarred badly from what looked to be an old burn injury. Almost half her face was melted off. Behind the woman was a large man with no hair on his head. He was staring at them with his one eye, where the other eye was gone, a black hole being the only thing seeable. Behind him, was another man who looked handsome enough, but his sadistic grin clearly told them he was more than likely insane.

"Shinara Kudo, Harley Hattori, and Night Baron…my collection is growing by the day", he said with an evil grin, "Now all that remain are four"

"Four?" asked Kudo.

"Surely you have figured this out, great detective", said the man with a smile, "I want the ultimate collection of figures. I already have a few others, but how else would I lead the true gems of my obsession out, except by illegal means."

"The kidnapped children…you did it to lure us out to find you", said Kudo, horrified that she had fallen into the trap so easily.

"Correct. There are seven gems which I consider the greatest criminal and crime fighting keepsakes of them all. Can you guess who they are?"

"Well obviously Harley and I are two of them. Night Baron is the third… so I would assume Kaitou Kid is another."

"Correct", the man replied.

Shinara noticed Night Baron look up at the mention of Kid, his rival. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she felt like that had angered the mysterious man. Were they perhaps friends? She wondered. She doubted Kaito would be friends with a killer. Perhaps a one sided admiration then? Either way, she tucked the reaction away to the back of her mind for another time.

"As for the other three…If we are going according to the newspapers, I would assume Richard Mouri would be one and perhaps…Saguru Hakuba another."

"Very good detective, but can you guess the final piece of my collection?"

Shinara was quiet for a moment, contemplating, she couldn't honestly think of anyone. Perhaps that is why it surprised her when Night Baron actually spoke. His voice was low and somewhat rusty sounding, but she could definitely tell it was a man.

"Christie Edogawa", the man said, "That would be your final piece."

"Correct. However that piece has somehow fallen off the playing board, though I don't yet know why. As interesting as that mystery is, I am fine with having six of the seven."

"Kid, Mouri, and Hakuba won't be fooled so easily now that we have also vanished", declared Harley from where she laid against Kudo's leg, "They will find us."

"I plan on it, detectives", the man laughed as he ushered the other man and woman out of the room, "I completely plan on it."

His laughter echoed within their minds for the rest of the night, as they all feared for what tomorrow might bring.


	17. Call to Action

**Note*** _I am not good at forensics or things like actual evidence, so work with me here ;) I will do my best to allow you to enjoy the chapter for what it is, an attempt _(LOL)

**Chapter Sixteen:**

**Call to Action**

**KID POV**

Kaito did just as Hakuba had asked of him. They both met in Osaka in front of the police station and he went dressed as his new temporary identity, Akira Asano, a half American, half Japanese man. It felt weird for Kaito to be at a different station than the Ekoda one that he often visited with Aoko.

"Are you done gawking yet?" asked Hakuba, the annoyance in his voice obvious.

Kaito looked over at the young man who had just now walked up, a frown on his face as he stood there staring at Kid as though he were the last person on earth he would want to be with. Which might be true, Kaito thought to himself with a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, tantei-san", he remarked as they walked inside.

"Excuse me", Hakuba said to the front counter when they entered, "could you tell me where Detective Kazuha is?"

The front desk officer looked at the two before grabbing the phone and ringing the office of Kazuha.

"Detective, there are two boys here at the front of the station. They wish to have a moment to speak with you… Yes sir… alright."

The woman hung up and then turned to Kaito and Hakuba.

"Go straight through the double doors there, turn right and then take a left and his office will be in that hall on the right."

Hakuba nodded as he took off towards the door. Kaito smiled at the woman who glared in Saguru's direction before giving a slight bow and smiling.

"Thank you very much madam officer. I apologize for my friend's rudeness", he replied and went on his way, throwing a wink over his shoulder and glancing just in time to see the woman blush a cute shade of pink.

Running to catch up with the speed walking young detective, Kaito made sure to stay right on his heels, a little worried about getting lost in the station and being interrogated should he be found. He knew if anyone would actually look up Akira Asano, they wouldn't find someone with his appearance listed. Kaito was still thinking about the risks of being in a strange station like this one, when he nearly ran into Hakuba who had stopped all at once.

"What's wrong?" Kaito asked.

Hakuba didn't say anything, but he did move closer to the door in front of him without making a sound. Kaito followed his example and both of them listened in on the conversation coming from the detective's office.

"Look, I know you're worried about Harley, Chief, but you need to get some sleep; you have been up for almost two full days trying to locate your daughter. I'm not saying you have to stop but at least make sure you take care of yourself so you don't end up in a hospital bed. That would definitely only frighten her once we found her if we had to explain why her father was ill."

"I know, I know", the other voice responded, "I just…I knew I shouldn't have let her go to that address alone. I went there myself with a few officers earlier, but there was no sign of her. All we could find were some strange markings, but nothing we could put into cold hard fact."

"Well don't give up hope chief, we will find her and that other detective, Kudo."

Chief Hattori nodded, his face in his hands and a tired expression on his face, but anyone could see the worry and true fear he had hidden in his eyes for the life of his only child, his daughter.

Hakuba, having heard enough, knocked on the frame of the door to alert the two men of his presence.

"Excuse me gentlemen", Hakuba replied stepping forward.

"And you are?" asked Chief Hattori, his eyes hardening with suspicion.

"My name is Saguru Hakuba, I am a detective from Ekoda. I am here to look into the mysterious disappearances of detectives Harley Hattori and Shinara Kudo."

The detective behind the desk scoffed, but the chief stared at Hakuba, his eyes calculating.

"Why?" he asked.

"A …acquaintance of mine wishes to find them, as he is friends with Shinara Kudo. As a favor to him, I am here today."

"Would he be your acquaintance?" asked the detective, pointing at Akira Asano who stood right behind Hakuba.

Saguru turned and glanced up at Kaito who just smiled.

"Yes he would be", Hakuba replied.

"Akira Asana, a pleasure", Kaito said with a bow and a small smile, trying to be polite, but also trying to show his concern as he allowed his face to wilt and show the true sadness he was currently feeling with Shin's disappearance.

The chief sighed, convinced.

"Honestly we don't have much to go on. I can give you the location of where Harley was known to be at last, but aside from there, I can't really give you any other information. It was my daughters personal case and I didn't look into it too deeply until she vanished into thin air, along with her friend Kudo."

"Any information to help us start out would be much appreciated, Chief Hattori", said Kaito with a small smile.

Chief Hattori gave a grim smile back, but he didn't hesitate to hand them a file with a copy of all the information they had acquired thus far. Usual procedure told him he shouldn't hand out the information to strangers without running a proper background check, but something about the two told him they meant what they said and might have a better chance of finding the girls than the police. If it got his daughter back to him, he didn't care who started looking.

Hakuba took the file with a nod their way as he and Kaito turned and walked back out of the station towards the location where Harley Hattori was last seen.

DCDCDCDCDC

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara waited until their captors had left the room again after delivering them bread and water before finally standing up for the first time since their capture. With her hands bound behind her back, it wasn't easy to find her balance, her muscles still somewhat weak from the poisons recovery, but she was able to get up with the help of Harley who had used her shoulder as a support. Once she was up, she slowly began making her way around the room, trying to find anything that could possibly help them escape. The door was locked from the other side with no way to access it from within. The walls around them were completely firm, not a loose stone in sight and Shinara was just about to give up her search when she kicked something by accident. Looking down at the item closer, she was both surprised and not so surprised to see a skeleton. What did surprise her however was that sticking out of the skeleton was a small knife. Grabbing the thing the best she could with her hands without falling backwards, she made her way over to Harley who looked dumbstruck by the luck of finding the item.

"This seems almost too easy", whispered Harley, her face showing her fear and doubt about the item just being there randomly on a dead skeleton.

"I don't know", said Shinara with shaky hands as she turned to try to cut through Harley's bindings while facing backwards, "the skeleton was in the shadows of the room, perhaps they forgot about it?"

"Maybe", said Harley, but Shinara could tell from her tone she didn't think so. Honestly, Shinara didn't either, but she could only hope that perhaps they underestimated them enough to give them a possible chance at escape. When Shinara got Harley's bindings off, Harley took the knife and released Shinara. They both glanced at the Night Baron who just sat there, his mask staring in their direction, but he wasn't saying a word.

"We may need his help", Harley whispered.

Shinara nodded, but she was nervous of him, much more nervous than she would have been had it been Kid who was here with them at a time when she didn't know him intimately based on reputation alone. Whereas Kid was just a thief, Night Baron was also a murderer.

Shinara went over and released his bindings. The man rubbed his wrists before giving a nod that they would have a temporary truce until they escaped. She knew he could only trust his word.

"Then let's start planning" Shinara said as she glanced at the door, "The sooner we have one, the better possibility of escape."

The other two didn't argue with that idea and they all began to think about possible ways to make their move with the highest chance of survival.

DCDCDCDCDC

**HAKUBA POV**

Hakuba knew that Kid had to be worried about the detectives if he had come to him of all people for help though he didn't know why. He also knew that he owed Kid his life and that by doing this, he would no longer have a debt to the phantom thief. He didn't like being indebted to anyone, especially not someone like Kaitou Kid. Still, the opportunity to work side by side with the thief was a once in a lifetime chance and he wasn't going to pass it up and possibly miss the opportunity to learn more about him in the meantime. What he wasn't expecting though, was that when they reached the building where Harley had vanished from, the thief became strangely silent and almost seemed to be serious for once, which only served to make Hakuba that much more nervous.

"What is wrong?" Hakuba finally asked when the silence was beginning to unnerve him with how uncharacteristic it was of the thief and the suspected person beneath the monocle.

"This place", the thief said glancing around, "it smells weird."

"Smells weird?"

Hakuba paused and sniffed the air, trying to figure out what the thief was talking about. When he did, he was surprised to find that the air did smell weird. It smelt like a mix between gasoline, sewer, and something else he couldn't pinpoint.

"Chloroform", whispered the Kid all at once, "They have been making chloroform here."

He grabbed Hakuba and stuck a cloth to his face before either of them could smell it too much. The entire building had an underlying smell of chloroform. It may not be enough to knock them out, but they didn't want to take the risk of letting the fumes in as they looked around.

"Over here", called the Kid as he stepped into a room on the second floor, "Scuff marks."

Hakuba noticed that the scuffs looked like that of someone either dancing or fighting, but there was only one set of scuff marks and not two. Who were they fighting with?

To better search, the two of them split up and went different directions, hoping they would come across something that would better explain the situation.

DCDCDCDCDC

**KIDNAPPER POV**

He watched as the two entered the building. He recognized the one as his assigned target, Saguru Hakuba, another renowned detective. He wasn't expecting him to be here though, he figured the detective would be busy with his own cases. As for the other with him, he didn't recognize the red head, but something about the way the man moved told him to watch him for a while longer. He didn't look nervous and the red head had a good sense of smell and hearing. Already he had moved a couple times and each time, the red head had stopped and listened for the sound. A sound that hardly anyone should hear unless they were close beside him.

"Anything yet?" called the detective from the other room.

"Nothing", came the reply.

The red head walked further into the room on the third floor. He gave the appearance of someone lazily looking around, but he had a feeling his eyes were taking in more than most. All at once the man hurried to a corner and picked something up. He couldn't see what the red head had found, but seeing the smile appear on the once serious face, he became nervous.

"Hakuba! I found something!" he yelled.

'Not good' thought the man as he made his way closer. He needed to take this guy out and see what he had found. Moving as slow and quiet as he could, he prepared the cloth of chloroform that he would stick over the man's mouth and nose. He was almost to him, prepared to jump on the red heads back from the broken ceiling tile, when Hakuba stepped into the room and saw him.

"Kid!" he yelled out the warning.

Kaito turned just in time to dodge the chloroform. He grabbed the man's wrists and shoved him up against the wall, hard, knocking the cloth out of the man's hands.

"Where are the detectives!" he yelled as he shoved him into the wall again.

"Easy Kid, easy", said Hakuba as he came up beside him and leaned against the wall to see their captive, "As the man said, tell us where the detectives you kidnapped are!"

The man in their arms was a small man, shrunken almost in appearance and his face too was scrunched in a deformed sort of way. He breathed heavily as he wrestled against Kid's hold. He glanced at the red heads hands and noticed he was holding a rusty nail. Seeing his look, Kid smiled and let it drop to the floor.

"Fooled you", he said, "Now tell us!"

"I-I don't know nothing", the man whispered.

"Wrong answer", said Kid as he dragged the man over to the third story window and leaned him out of it, his threat to let the man fall hanging in the air.

"Kid!" yelled Hakuba, worried that in his anger, Kaito would truly kill the suspect, the only chance they both knew they had at finding the detectives and the other kidnapped children.

"Talk or you will fall", Kid said, his face expressionless and his eyes guarded.

The man looked down at the faraway ground and shivered.

"A-alright! Alright, just sit me up! Please!"

"Not until you talk!"

"T-they are down! D-down below in the basements cellars."

Kid grabbed hold of the man and pulled him with him as they all went down to the basement door. When Kid grabbed the handle to open it, two things happened.

The first was that Kid screamed out in pain as an electrical current entered his body.

The second, was that their suspect tried to escape only to be flattened by a punch from Hakuba who then turned quickly and grabbing a pair of rubber gloves out of his pocket that he kept with him in order to pick up evidence, grabbed Kid and pulled him away from the door.

Lowering him down to the ground, he waited as Kid's breathing began to even out and his eyes loosened up from their tightly closed look. It was easy to see he was in a lot of pain and Hakuba was even more concerned when he didn't pull away or say something when Hakuba took his hand by the wrist and looked at the burns now running across his palm.

Grabbing a bottle of water out of his bag he had brought with him, Hakuba poured it over Kid's hand before grabbing the first aid kit from his bag. He took out a bandage and wrapped the hand gently before allowing it to rest back on his knees.

"Are you alright?" he asked Kid who had finally opened his eyes enough to look at him.

Kid nodded, getting shakily to his feet as he wobbled where he stood for a moment before breathing out a sigh and trying to get his act back together.

Hakuba watched him for a moment to make sure he was good before turning back to the suspect who was just now waking up. Grabbing the man roughly by the neck, he jerked him up into a sitting position.

"You do that again and you won't wake up next time. Now tell us where the detectives are!"

The man didn't give any resistance this time as he gave the name of the location and promptly passed out in fear.


	18. Rescue

**Chapter Seventeen:**

**Rescue**

**SHINARA POV**

Their plan was set. While Harley would stay in the center of the floor to rest because of her concussion, Night Baron and Shinara would wait at the door to take down whoever opened it next. Luck apparently was on their side, because they didn't have to wait long. As soon as the door opened even a smudge and the person outside noticed Harley, both Shinara and Night Baron reached forward and grabbed the man swinging him inside. The one eyed large man fought back, but not before it was already too late. Night Baron grabbed the man's neck and twisted.

"Don't kill him!" Shinara yelled, but Night Baron didn't listen to her words as he snapped his neck and let the body fall dead to the ground.

She stared at him in disgust for having just killed the man, even if he was one of their kidnappers. Night Baron seemed unfazed however as he walked out of the room and vanished out of sight. Shinara grabbed Harleys arm and helped her up, letting her lean on her as they walked. Hattori was already doing a lot better than before, but she still felt pretty nauseated at times.

As they stepped out of the cell they had been held in, they noticed it led to an empty and dark hall way, lit only by the occasional small bulb along the ceiling, the wires hanging low and cobwebs in every corner.

"There may be other survivors here", whispered Harley as she held her head.

Shinara nodded as they stopped at the first door they came to, several feet down the hall way. Opening it, they peeked inside and breathed a sigh of relief when they found three small children sitting there in the dark.

"Are you guys alright?" she asked them.

The oldest one stepped forward. He was a boy of about eleven years of age with dark hair and pale blue eyes.

"Adria is sick, but yeah we are okay."

"Which one is Adria?" Shin asked as Harley gave her the okay to pull away. While Harley learned to find her balance at the doorway, Shin walked and noticed the two small girls in the back of the room huddled together. The older one, around eight was holding the younger who was about four and looked rather pale.

"Mind if I carry her?" Shin asked with a smile.

The older girl nodded after a moment's hesitation as Shinara picked the small child up into her arms and allowed the little girl to lay her head on her shoulder.

"Alright guys, let's get out of here and see if we can't find some others."

DCDCDCDCDCDC

**KID POV**

Kaito and Hakuba had just arrived at the location. The building was a wretched looking place that seemed like it could fall apart at any time with a big enough breeze from the wind. The entire abandoned facility wasn't overly large, but they could see how no one would be able to hear anything happening within and it was far enough out of civilization that it wouldn't be noticed right away either if there was a small bit of activity occurring.

"I see a door right there", pointed Hakuba to the right where a door was located, hidden behind some large bushes.

"One there also", Kid said pointing to the left where a door was found a couple stories up at the fire escape.

Kid and Hakuba glanced at each other before coming up mutually with the decision to separate. They knew they needed to find them and time could be of the upmost essence.

"I have my cell phone, call if you find them", said Hakuba.

Kid nodded and they both took off towards the entrances.

When Kid stepped inside, he was surprised by how dark it was. There was barely any lighting, even with all the holes in the ceilings and walls. Still, he wasn't going to let this stop him. He was used to working in the dark and this was a cake walk compared to some of the heists he had pulled off in the past. If anything, he thought to himself with a grin, he was here to steal back some people rather than some jewels.

**HAKUBA POV**

Hakuba shivered as he walked through the dingy dark hallways. The place was small enough that he didn't feel overwhelmed with the search, but it was large enough he felt like he had been searching for hours and going in circles, every turn looking the same.

He was just beginning to think about calling Kid and asking him if he had found anything yet, when a noise attracted his attention. It sounded like banging.

Sprinting off in that direction, he slowed when he came to an all-white steel door. Slowly, hesitantly, he pushed it open. The banging stopped.

When he opened it completely, the darkness inside which was pitch black made it hard to make out if anyone was inside. He knew there had to be though, if the sound had been anything to go by.

"Hello?" he called softly.

"Who are you?" asked a voice from within.

"My name is Saguru Hakuba, a detective. I am here to get you out. Are you alright?"

"Yeah", said the voice, "but I think it may be too late for most of us."

"What do you mean?"

"…" the voice was silent.

"Hello? What's wrong?"

Hakuba watched as a foot stepped into the small amount of light from the doorway. A girl with long ratty hair stepped out. Her clothes were worn and soiled and her body looked like she had been starved for several days.

"He kept telling us help would come. I didn't believe him."

"Who told you that?" he asked kneeling in front of the girl who looked into his eyes, her own eyes holding a deep sadness that made his heart ache.

"Mr. Koro", the girl said pointing into the darkness.

Taking out his phone, Saguru stepped into the dark and followed the young girl. The floor was littered with dirt and grime but he kept his eyes on the darkness as he was brought to an area within the room where a pair of boots were now seen. He got closer and shined his light and had to look away to keep himself from puking at the sight he found. A man sat there in the corner, his body already in a state of decay. Beside him was the body of a small child, also dead, but not yet in the decaying process. He noticed off to the side, still close to the body but not touching it was a small boy whose eyes were watching him closely, his body even thinner the girls.

"That's Kou. I'm Jira" the girl said from behind him, "Mr. Koro kept us alive by giving us anything he was given to eat. They wanted him because he is a popular journalist here in Japan, but I guess they got bored with him when he refused to entertain them. They stopped giving us food, all except him. He never ate any of it though."

Hakuba noticed the tears in the girl's eyes and hesitantly at first, but then more quickly but gently, he wrapped an arm around her and hugged her into his side.

"That was nice of him", he whispered.

The girl nodded.

"Come on, let's get out of here."

Hakuba led Jira and Kou out, but he did so with one final glance back at the selfless newspaper journalist who had given his life to keep the children alive.

"Thank you", he whispered to the man with a bow and walked out, the door shutting behind him with a click.

**SHINARA POV**

"Come on kids, keep up with me", she said as she encouraged Harley and the other two who were walking behind her. Adria was asleep in her arms. They had been walking for a while and Shinara still hadn't been able to find any more living children or a way out. They had stumbled upon one other room with people in it, but both children were dead, starved to death.

The sound of a door opening down the hall made her stop. Ushering the kids into one of the empty rooms off to the side, she had them wait there and gave Adria to Harley to hold for a bit while she took up position and prepared to let loose on whoever was coming. Just as she swung around the corner with a piece of wood she had found lying around, she stopped short just in time, coming face to face with a red headed young man.

The man in question stared at her like he saw a ghost before a smile broke across his face with a look of relief.

"You scared the crap out of me Meitantei", he commented with a sigh.

She stared at him in shock.

"Kid?" she asked.

He grinned and bowed with a flourish like usual.

"At your service milady."

She smiled in relief as she wrapped her arms around him. He blinked in surprise, but then held her close, allowing them both a moment of pleasure at being back in each other's arms before turning back to the seriousness of the situation.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Harley has a concussion and I have three children with me. One of them is ill. Are you alone?"

"No, I came with Hakuba-Kun", he replied.

"You came here with Saguru Hakuba?" she asked stunned.

He nodded. "Long story"

"I will hear it later", she said with a nod, "Okay, have you found anyone else on your way here."

"Actually yeah, but just one", he said somewhat sadly as he looked back at the door he had just come out of.

"It's alright Mara" he said to the teenage girl who stepped out. She looked to be around fourteen with dark black hair and brown eyes. Her skin was pale and covered in grime, but she looked a little better off than a lot of the children that Shinara had seen so far.

"She had been with a couple others, but they were dead", he replied, "She had only been kidnapped a couple days ago and was thrown into the room with them. One of them had still been alive at the time, but he didn't last long."

Shinara shook her head, sadness and regret filling her, realizing she hadn't been able to save them in time.

"Hey, it's okay. We saved some and that's what matters right now. We need to get the ones who are alive out."

She nodded as she swiped at the tears on her face.

He smiled as he snapped his fingers and allowed a handkerchief to appear before her eyes.

She took it with a laugh. "Lead the way, thief-san."

He was just about to turn and start back the way he had come when he noticed the small eight year old girl staring up at him, her eyes bright with childish wonder about who he was and how he had made the cloth appear just moments before from thin air. Smiling, he stooped and picked her up into his arms. Snapping his fingers once again, he made a small pink rose appear.

"For you, little lady", he said with a smile.

The little girl stared at the rose in wonder as she took it and twirled it in her hands, pleased for the moment. Seeing she was happily distracted, he started the way back he had come, being watchful of any possible danger.

**HAKUBA POV**

His phone ringing made him jump for a moment as he flipped it open, seeing it was Kid.

"Are you alright?" he asked right away, worried something may have gone wrong.

_"__All is well so far tantei-san"_

"Did you find them?"

_"__Actually that is why I called. I have Detective Kudo and Hattori here, along with four children. So far they are the only ones we have found. Hattori has a concussion, but she is walking alright. One of the children is ill, but not horribly. They all are nearly starved though. Kudo says to be aware of two people probably somewhere here in the facility. A woman and a man."_

"Alright I will be aware. I have also found some children. Two from the first room I came across and another four from a different room I found just a few minutes ago. I haven't seen anyone suspicious yet though."

_"__Alright, well we are heading outside. Police should be here anytime. I called them before I called you now that we know this is the right place. We…"_

A crash on the other end of the phone line had Hakuba pulling the phone away from his ear for a moment before putting it right back, desperate to hear a voice on the other end.

"Kid!" he yelled, "anyone! Kid! Are you alright! Kid!"

The phone went dead.

**KID POV**

Kid had been chatting away to who she assumed was Hakuba when all at once out of nowhere, a large wooden crate came crashing into the side of Kids head. Kaito stumbled, the phone dropping from his hand as he fell back into the wall, trying to regain his balance and keeping his body covering the little girl in his arms. He didn't get a chance to do much more when the kick of a high heeled boot smacked him across the jaw, knocking him to the ground with the child and slicing open his chin. Grabbing the bleeding cut in an attempt to staunch the flow, he raised himself up, staring at the woman in front of him with a deformed face, now holding a gun towards the children and the detectives. He put an arm around the girl behind him, making sure she stayed out of sight.

"Always trouble", the woman muttered, "Since you can't stay seated in your respective cells, you can just die. Starting with… you", she said as she turned and leveled the gun at Kaito. Kid closed his eyes, truly fearing his time had come to an end, only to open them again when the sound of a gunshot went off and no pain came with it. He was stunned when a man in a black costume and a white mask with a blood smile stood in front of him.

"Night Baron", he whispered in surprise.

Night Baron had grabbed the gun and aimed at the ceiling just as the shot had gone off. He grabbed a hold of the woman and slammed her down against the floor, knocking the wind out of her before stepping on her throat, strangling her.

"S-stop!" Kid yelled shoving him off, "I thank you for saving me, but don't kill her!"

Night Baron didn't reply, but he did glance back down at the woman before turning to once again walk away.

"Why did you save me anyways?" Kid asked, confusion evident in his gaze.

Night Baron stopped and looked back at him over his shoulder.

"Only I will destroy you and it will be in a battle of wits" he replied as he walked out.

Kid didn't know what to say to that, so he picked up his phone that had fallen after Kudo had securely tied the woman up and continued with the others towards the exit, his thoughts running amuck in his head at the current situation.

**HAKUBA POV**

Hakuba sighed in relief when he found the door he had entered from. Smiling, he took the hands of the two children he had found first and after making sure the other four were following, he stepped outside into the cool breeze.

"You!", shouted a voice.

He turned and came face to face with a gun, a good looking man behind the gun stared at him both in anger and fascination as he pointed the gun at the detectives head.

"You have ruined all of my plans! I wanted you to be one of my special pieces, but then you stole them all away! You and that thief!"

"I do so apologize", Hakuba said sarcastically, but he was a bit nervous about the man's mental state. He obviously was crazy.

"Give it back to me! Give me back my paradise!"

Hakuba scowled in disgust. If those rooms were a piece of this man's paradise, he wanted now more than ever to put an end to a being who craved such scenes. Still, he didn't move as he didn't want to risk the lives of the children behind him and he wasn't a murderer.

"Put the gun down now!" demanded a voice.

Hakuba turned in relief to see several police cars come streaming into view. Chief Hattori and Detective Kazuha at the forefront of the armada.

The man glared, his face getting angrier and angrier at the sign of the cops now surrounding him. Hakuba refused to move though, not wanting to risk being shot or drawing attention to the children by his side.

"I will kill him!" yelled the man as he shook the gun towards Hakuba, "stay back!"

"Just drop the gun. You are already surrounded. You cannot escape", said the detective, trying his best to get through to the crazed man in front of him.

"Shut up!" he yelled, "I will kill you! Kill you!"

Hakuba saw him starting to pull the trigger and just when he thought for certain he was a dead man, a single playing card shot out and knocked the gun from the man's hand. Hakuba didn't hesitate as he tackled the man to the ground, kicking the gun further from his grasp as he pinned the man's arms behind his back. The police rushed in grabbing the man off the ground as he fought them.

"I will kill you! Kill you! Kill you!" he continued to yell as they dragged him away to the back of a police van where he was handcuffed, hands and feet bound to a metal bench.

"You alright?" asked Kid as he stepped forward, offering Hakuba his hand.

Saguru took the offered hand and nodded as he watched the man until they slammed the van doors shut.

"Crazy jerk", he remarked with the shake of his head.

He turned his attention to the thief before him and frowned when he noticed the deep cut across the teen's chin.

"That's going to need stitches", he commented.

Kaito sighed.

"I know. I hate needles", he groaned.

Hakuba let slip a small smile as he turned back to the children and led them over to the police.

"Detective Kazuha, these are all the children I could find on the east side."

"Same for us on the west side", said Shinara as she stepped forward.

"You alright Ms. Kudo?" asked Hakuba.

She nodded, "thank you Saguru."

"Please, don't thank me. If anyone deserves your thanks", he said with a sigh, "it's that idiot over there."

Hakuba pointed to where Kid was kneeling beside the little children, keeping their attention on his magic tricks as they were being checked over by a medic. Kudo sent Hakuba one more smile before heading over to the magician. He didn't know what she saw in Kaito, but for once, he didn't feel like using any of the information he had gained through this to take down the magician anymore.

"I will take you down someday", he whispered to himself, "but it will be fair and square."

With those words he turned and began to fill in the rest of the facts to the detective and chief of police.


	19. Recovery Time

**Chapter Eighteen: **

**Recovery Time**

**KID POV**

Kaito smiled as he watched the children in front of him, all completely taken by his magic. They didn't even remember that there was a scary doctor with a bunch of scary tools checking them over as he kept their undivided attention. It was when the last child was finished being checked over, that a pair of arms drape over him from behind. He smiled wider, not needing to turn around to know whose they were, as only one person would do something like that.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

Kudo nodded against his neck as she nuzzled his ear. Kid leaned his head against her own as they watched the ambulances drive off with the children.

"Yeah, the doctor said I am more underweight than I should be, but considering I was already that way, it's not a big jump."

"Well, I am glad to know you are safe", Kid said as he turned and took Shinara into his arms. The two of them stood just like that for a bit, just feeling each other's heartbeats, knowing the other was alive and well.

"I was so worried", he whispered into her ear as he kissed her temple and pulled her closer to him. She nodded, the only thing she could do as the tears she had tried for so long to keep back decided to come at that moment.

Kaito could feel her entire body shaking as she cried into his shoulder. He continued to just hold her, the moon shining on them from above. He glanced around and noticed Harley being held by her father much the same way. Hakuba glanced his way and gave him a nod, alerting him that he was in the clear to leave. Kid didn't give a signal back but he knew Hakuba didn't require one. He turned and kept an arm around Shin as he walked her towards the street where a taxi was waiting for them. Climbing into the back, she lowered herself inside beside him and snuggled into him, her eyes closed and her breathing shallow as she tried to keep herself from crying anymore.

"You don't have to hide it…not from me", he whispered.

So she didn't.

DCDCDCDCDC

When the taxi pulled up to the Kudo mansion, he didn't even talk it through with her as he walked her to the door. He took one of his lock picks out of his back pocket and unlocked the door, Shin was practically in a trance beside him. After she had gotten into the taxi, she had a breakdown. She couldn't control the anger and the fear and the sadness she had felt after having left that facility where so many people died needlessly. He didn't expect her to be okay so soon, so it was not a big deal for him to decide to take care of her tonight.

Flipping on the light switch for the staircase, he helped her upstairs to the final door at the end of the hallway. He turned on the light and sat her down on the edge of her bed.

"Shin, my dove, I am going to get your pajamas out. Can you dress yourself?"

Shinara stared at him a moment, her eyes glazed. She wasn't even hearing him. Sighing, he turned to the closet and pulled out a pair of sweat pants and a tank top. He felt awkward about the idea of helping her change when she wasn't even really conscious, but he didn't want her to stay in those grimy, blood covered clothes any longer than she had to. Just seeing them, never mind their smell that came along with them, was enough to make him want to get sick. The two combined left him heaving every few minutes as he thought back to what he had seen in some of the rooms.

Pulling her up to her feet, he closed his eyes as he undid her belt and zipper. He pulled the pants down to around her ankles before he had no choice but to open his eyes. He kept his gaze strictly on the bed as he helped her sit and pulled the pants the rest of the way off. As he grabbed the sweats and put them on around her ankles, he then helped her stand back up before closing his eyes once again and pulling them all the way up. He did the same thing with her shirt. He had her sit on the bed as he closed his eyes and slid the shirt off. He grabbed the tank top and only looked to find the holes before lowering it over her head. He kept his eyes on her arms as he did so and then closed them again when he pulled it down over her chest and stomach areas. He didn't worry about her undergarments. As long as the outer clothes were off at least, he figured it was enough for now.

He glanced at her hair. It was pretty dirty and there was blood smudged in it from what he figured came from the large bump on the back of her head.

"I'm going to wash your hair for you. Sound alright?"

She didn't respond, her eyes closed. He could tell she wasn't really even conscious but instead she was in a deep state of shock. He was worried about her, but he knew he couldn't do much more for her tonight. If she was still this way tomorrow, he would see about it then.

He took her to the bathroom and had her lean back against the tub. He placed several towels around her shoulders and over her as he gently used his hands to dampen her hair. He then poured in the soap and gently scrubbed it, trying to be especially careful around the tender wound. When it was clean enough, he rinsed the hair thoroughly before drying her off. He took a brush from the counter and snaked it through, again being as gentle as he possibly could. He didn't want to hurt her any more than he had to.

"Alright, are you hungry?" he asked.

As he figured, she still didn't respond. Sighing, he pulled her up to a standing position and then swept her legs up into his arms, carrying her princess style back to her bedroom. He gently laid her down on the bed, pulling the covers over her as he tucked her in. Smiling at the peaceful look she had laying there safe in her bed, he kissed her forehead and turned off the light, closing the door before he moved over to her empty desk chair. He was starving and tired, but he wasn't going to leave her alone. She needed him and he wasn't going to leave so long as she didn't want or need him to.

Pulling out his phone, he decided to make a few quick calls before it got too late. The first person he dialed was his mother, telling her he was safe and that he wouldn't be home for a while. The second person he called, was Ai.

_"__Hello?" _answered a tired voice.

"Ai. It's Kaito Kuroba."

_"…"_

"Err…I know you don't really know me, but I wanted to call and let you know about Shinara. Detective Hakuba and I were able to locate her today. She is home safe and is currently sleeping. She is in a bit of a trance like state which I believe is due to the shock. I am going to stay with her for tonight. Is there anything I should do in case she wakes and needs help?"

_"__I know who you are Kuroba-kun and thank you for calling me to let me know about her. Rest is the best thing she can have right now. I will come over first thing in the morning to attend to her. Should anything happen tonight, don't hesitate to call me, alright?"_

"Will do Ma'am, thanks."

_"__Not a problem." _Click

He yawned and rubbed his face as he watched her sleep. He wasn't a religious person by any means, but he couldn't help praying to anyone who would listen, "please…let her be okay after tonight. I need her…" he said as he glanced at her and smiled, "No…I love her."

DCDCDCDCDC

**AI POV**

When I went over to Kudo's place early that morning, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had talked to Kuroba a little last night but I still didn't know much of what had occurred. I was silent as I walked up the stairs and peeked into the bedroom I knew to be Shinara's. I smiled when I saw the scene. Sleeping in her bed was Kudo, but leaning over in what had to be an uncomfortable position was who I guessed to be Kaito Kuroba. One of his hands was tucked beneath his head as a pillow and the other laid resting on Kudo's leg as though a lifeline to attempt to keep her safe throughout the night. Grabbing a blanket from the closet in the hallway, she stepped back inside the room and draped it over the boy before silently stepping out of the room and heading downstairs to start breakfast. There had been no point in worrying about them last night, she thought to herself with a smile, Shinara had been in good hands.

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara groaned as she woke from her sleep. Her head felt tight and foggy and she felt a bit nauseas upon sitting up. She couldn't really remember what had occurred the night before. Did she get drunk? She wondered to herself, but she didn't feel drunk. Was she drugged? She closed her eyes, trying to will herself to remember.

"Don't push it", said a voice, "It will come back on its own time."

Shinara opened her eyes and blinked. Ai stood at the door, a frown on her face.

"I don't remember what happened", Shinara whispered, "I know I was on my way to Osaka. How did I get home?"

Ai sighed, knowing she would have no choice but to help her remember. She would rather the detective remember with her here to help her, instead of trying to force herself to remember and remembering the incident when alone.

"Do you remember the rundown facility in Ekoda?"

Shinara shook her head. It sounded familiar but why?

"Alright, how about the name Harley Hattori, Saguru Hakuba, and Kaito Kuroba?"

Shinara stared at Ai. Her eyes clearly said she was confused.

"Kaito was there?" she asked.

Ai nodded.

"He brought you home. You were kidnapped off the train headed for Osaka and taken to Ekoda. Harley Hattori was also kidnapped. The two of you escaped and found some children. I believe I was told that the name of one child you were especially close to was Adria."

The name of the child brought with it a face in Shinara's mind. A small dirty face, red with fever. She could remember two other children with her and… so much death. That's right…she could remember it now.

"You remember?" asked Ai, seeing the devastation on the detectives face. She didn't want her to remember it, but she knew with Shinara being a supreme witness, she needed to remember at some point.

"I remember Kaito offering to walk me home…I don't remember ever actually getting home", she said glancing around.

"That's because you fell into a state of shock. The boy called me last night a little after one and explained a little about your condition. He was scared, but he stayed by your side throughout the entire night."

"He was here with me?" she asked, "Where is he now?"

"Downstairs asleep on the couch. When I arrived he was asleep, bent over in a bad position on your bed. I made breakfast and then came up and woke him. He refused to leave until he knew for certain you were alright. While we ate he explained the entire story to me and even what occurred last night in case he didn't get the opportunity to see you before I did."

"I see…" Shinara said, a deep frown settling into her features. She hated that she had been a burden on Kaito because she couldn't handle her own emotions. She felt like a failure as a detective. Sighing, she slipped her legs over the side of the bed, but stopped when she noticed the black sweat pants and white tank top she was wearing.

Seeing her confused look, Ai smirked, "He said you smelt like death last night, so he took the liberty of changing your clothes and washing your hair."

Shinara went beet red, imagining Kaito changing her clothes. Ai smirked wider as she chuckled into her hand enjoying the detective's embarrassment.

"He did tell me to tell you not to worry, he didn't look."

Shinara shook her head, dropping her face into her hands. She was so embarrassed! Not only had she not been able to handle her emotions, she hadn't even been able to clean herself up for the man she loved.

"I suggest getting yourself under control. He might never leave if he thinks you're still not feeling well. The boy has hardly slept until I slipped him a sleeping pill in his milk."

Shinara nodded and took a couple deep breaths as she tried to calm herself down. She needed to show him she was fine and thank him for taking…

…care of…

…her.

She squealed, her face going red again. How could she not get embarrassed when she thought of him and whatever he did last night.

Watching from the door, Ai grinned devilishly and walked out, feeling quite accomplished. She loved to see other people's discomfort. It just made life so much more interesting, she thought as she laughed all the way down the stairs.


	20. You and Me

**Chapter Nineteen:**

**You and Me**

Shinara walked down the stairs, stopping just on the last step when she noticed the light snoring coming from the couch. Ai was in the kitchen washing dishes, so she knew it was Kaito, still sleeping soundly.

She walked over to the couch and peered down at the sleeping face. Where he usually had a mask covering his expressions, his sleeping face however was completely open to viewing. You could tell that whatever he was dreaming about wasn't necessarily a good thing. He was tossing and turning and his face was scrunched up in a frown. He seemed to be muttering something but Kudo couldn't hear what it was he was saying, but he seemed a bit distraught.

"Hey, Kaito", she said shaking his arm. She didn't want him to be caught in a nightmare. "Kaito, wake up! Kaito!"

Kaito startled awake, sitting up, panting. He stared straight ahead for a moment and she gave him a second to fully wake up before moving into view so he could see her clearly.

"S-shin-chan", he whispered seeing her.

He sighed in relief as he wiped his forehead that was wet with sweat. He grinned when he looked back up, his mask, she noticed, completely back in place.

"It is so good to see you alright", he said as he stood up a bit shakily, "I was so worried."

She smiled a bit sheepishly as she rounded the couch and hugged him. He seemed to be quivering a bit, so she sat down bringing him with her.

"Are you okay?" she asked, noticing how pale he looked.

He nodded.

"Yeah sorry, just a stupid nightmare", he commented as he looked around and spotted Ai in the kitchen who was completely ignoring the scene happening behind her.

"Ai told me what you did for me", she said, knowing her face was turning cherry red, "T-thanks."

Kaito smiled and pulled her against him with a giggle.

"You are so cute Shin-chan", he said grinning.

She smiled back and relaxed against him. He leaned down near her ear and whispered, tickling her with his hot breath against her skin.

"Say Shin, would you like to join me on a date? A real date", he asked.

She glanced up at him where he softly smiled down at her, "I don't know about you", he replied, "but I could use a good day out for fun."

"I would love to go on a date with you, Kaito Kuroba", she whispered, "no injuries this time."

He laughed and nodded in agreement, "Yeah no injuries if I can help it, especially not to you. I am going to stop at home first to change and take a quick shower. How about I pick you up at…" he glanced at his watch, "around eleven? That gives us both an hour."

"Sounds good", she agreed.

"Alright then" he said with a quick kiss to her cheek, "see you in an hour."

She nodded with a blush as he chuckled and left the house. As soon as the door closed, she rushed up the stairs to get ready. Ai just laughed as she watched her go.

"If anything", she whispered to herself, "They are good humor."

She cackled as she continued with the dishes.

DCDCDCDCDC

An hour later, Shinara stood waiting at the door. She was dressed in a flowing light green and white skirt with a long sleeved white V-neck and a tan leather vest over top of that. She had light green colored beads around her neck and a tan bandana tied up in her hair, with a pair of small green earrings. Her shoes were white buckle sandals and she had a small tan bag slung over her shoulder. She didn't usually dress up like this, so she hoped he liked it.

Taking her out of her mental critique of her clothes was the sound of the doorbell. Running over to it, she smiled when she opened it and found Kaito standing there with a red rose outstretched for her. He was dressed in a pair of khakis with a red polo shirt and a tan leather jacket with brown shoes. He smiled when he saw her and then he smiled wider when he saw her outfit choice.

"You look gorgeous milady", he whispered to her as he took her hand and kissed it, causing a small blush to rise to her cheeks, "You ready?"

She nodded as he took her hand in his and started down the sidewalk to the road.

"So where we going?" she asked as they walked, their hands swinging between them.

"Well…I was thinking about perhaps the amusement park?"

She paused and glanced at her skirt.

"Good thing I wore shorts underneath", she laughed.

He laughed back and shook his head, "I'm not surprised."

"Was your mom worried about you not coming home last night?" she asked him.

He shook his head.

"Nah, she is used to it."

"I figured", she said squeezing his hand.

He squeezed back and smiled at her. She glanced down and noticed his other hand was wrapped in a tan ace bandage.

"What happened to your right hand?" she asked letting go of his left and gently picking up his right.

He scratched his head and grimaced when she touched the palm with her finger.

"Sorry", she said noticing, "I didn't see this yesterday. Did it happen last night?"

"It happened yesterday before we got to you guys. I uh…had a run in with an electrical current."

"Huh?" she asked blinking.

He sighed. "I was tricked and I touched a door handle which was electrified. Hakuba treated it right away, but it's burnt pretty badly."

"I'm glad for once that Hakuba was with you", she said letting go of his wrist, "Although I was really surprised you were willingly."

"Yeah, he is a good guy when he wants to be", Kaito laughed.

She smiled and looked up at his chin. He had to have stitches put in, but again she had no memory of it occurring.

"Ah, Jii did this", he said pointing at his chin, "After I got you home last night and called my mom and Ai, my mom had called Jii and he came over with some food and a medical pouch."

"I see", she said, a bit frustrated that she had been sleeping when he had been injured and in need of some help.

"Hey don't blame yourself. It was a nasty situation and had I been in your place I would have probably been about the same way once all was said and done. I'm fine okay? Don't blame yourself for anything."

She nodded, but he could tell she was still upset.

"I know this might be a little late to ask, but…I assume we are dating now, right?" he asked, a blush on his face.

She laughed and nodded, "Yeah; that is if you want to?"

"Of course!" he yelled and then straightened, clearing his throat, "Y-yeah I do."

She chuckled.

"Then yes, we are dating."

He beamed at her as he grabbed his cellphone and snapped a picture of her before she even knew what had happened.

"Had to catalogue the moment", he said with a smile. She just shook her head as they continued down the road towards Tropical Land Amusement Park.

DCDCDCDCDC

Kaito groaned when he noticed Hakuba and Aoko in the ticket line. Shinara just smirked. In all honesty, she was wanted it to be just him and her also, but she didn't mind some others being with them. What she wasn't expecting was a sudden tackle from behind nearly knocking her to the ground.

"Shinara!" yelled Harley as she tackled the girl, "I didn't know you were going to be here too!"

"You too huh?" asked Shinara glancing at Kaito who looked a little peeved.

"Yeah, Toyama thought I needed a day out, seems you guys had the same plan."

"And Hakuba and Aoko", said Kaito with a huff.

Aoko turned by coincidence and noticed Kaito standing there with Harley and Shin. She pointed them out to Hakuba who turned and stared blankly at Kaito, no doubt the same thought of "What are you doing here" going through his head.

"Kaito, I didn't know you were going to be here", laughed Aoko as she turned to Shin and Harley, "How are you guys? Hakuba told me a little about what happened. I'm so sorry."

Shinara shook her head.

"We are fine, thanks", she said as she stepped beside Kaito who looked defeated, his plans ruined. She grabbed his hand, stringing her fingers through his. He glanced at her and saw her smile. Sighing, he smiled back.

Hakuba and Harley had both noticed this interaction and they hid their small smiles as they turned to their own respective dates.

"Aoko and I are heading to the aquarium", he commented, smirking when he noticed Kaito shiver. He knew about Kaito's extreme fear of fish.

"Kazuha, I want to go to the waterpark area!" yelled Harley as she started dragging him off, they waved back and then vanished into the crowd.

"We will go our separate ways then. How about we meet up for lunch though? I will text Harley and ask her as well. Sound okay?" suggested Shinara.

"Sounds fine", agreed Aoko.

Hakuba frowned, as did Kaito but neither argued it with their girlfriends.

"Later then", Aoko said as she dragged Hakuba off, chatting all the way.

Kaito sighed in relief and Shin laughed at his expression.

"See, just you and me."

"As it should be", he said as he leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips, "You and me."

DCDCDCDCDC

**LOST CHILD POV **

"Mommy!" screamed a child as he wandered around the park. He had gotten lost by accident when his mother and he had gone to the aquarium. When he came out, he found he had somehow been separated.

"Mommy!"

"What's wrong kid?" asked a male voice.

The little boy looked up and found himself in front of a teen boy and a teen girl. The boy had dark brown curly hair with bright blue eyes. The girl had long black hair with silver streaks and the coolest looking eyes he had ever seen before. She reminded him a lot of his mama.

"Are you lost sweetie?" the girl asked him.

He nodded, tears slipping down his cheek.

"It's okay. Who did you come with?"

"M-my mommy", he said, his voice quivering.

"Hey, hey", said the teen boy kneeling beside him, "Don't cry now. Watch this."

The little boy watched as the teen showed him his hands and then with a snap of his fingers a white hat appeared.

"See anything inside?" he asked him.

The boy peeked inside and saw it was empty and shook his head.

"Are you sure?" asked the teen as he reached inside and withdrew a flashlight. The teen looked at it in surprise before putting it back in and then pulling out a stuffed rabbit. The little boy watched in amazement as the teen continued to pull out different things.

Shinara watched in amusement as the little boys face lit up in awe.

"Cool right?" asked Kaito with a grin.

The child nodded as Kaito placed the tall top hat on the boys head.

"Now, want to tell me your name?" he asked him as he scooped the child up into his arms as the boy looked at the hat he now had in his arms.

"Ren", the boy replied.

"Well Ren, I am Kaito and this is Shinara. Let's go find your mama, huh?"

The little boy smiled and nodded as he leaned against the older teen as they began their search for his mother.

DCDCDCDCDC

**SHINARA POV **

The day flew by and before they knew it, it was three o'clock, the time they had all agreed upon to meet for lunch. They had decided to meet up at the small diner near the parks' entrance called Tropical Isle. Seeing that they were the first ones to arrive, Shinara stepped up to the entrance.

"How many people?" asked the greeter with a smile.

"Six", replied Kaito with a charming grin.

The woman smiled back, her cheeks reddening as she led them towards a round table in the back corner. She laid down six menus and then left to continue her work.

"Always the charmer", Shin said with a fond smile and the shake of her head.

"You know you love it", commented Kaito with a smirk. She just ignored him. He definitely didn't need her to boost his ego any more than it already was.

"There they are!" shouted Aoko as she pointed to the back corner where Kaito and Shin were sitting. She came in, dragging Hakuba behind her as Harley and Kazuha followed close behind.

"You all look happy", Shinara commented seeing their smiling faces.

"The waterpark is amazing! You need to come with us Kudo", she said with a grin as she pulled Kazuha down beside her. He looked tired.

"Aquarium was fun. We watched the dolphin show. Then we went and played some laser tag", laughed Aoko, "I won."

"Barely", grunted Hakuba, clearly not pleased by this outcome.

Kaito snickered, earning him a glare that he ignored.

"What did you do?" asked Aoko glancing between the two.

"Well…" Shin sighed thinking back on the day so far.

"We babysat", Kaito finished.

"Babysat?" everyone asked in surprise.

"That doesn't explain it to them at all Kaito", Shin said with a light smack to his arm, "We found a lost child in the park and stayed with him until we could find his mom. We just found her about a half hour ago."

"We went on one ride before coming here, but mostly we walked around and ate ice cream", Kaito added.

"Admit it though, you had fun and you liked the kid", she said leaning against him.

He chuckled, "Alright yeah I admit it. I liked the kid."

She grinned at him as he smiled back. The others kept quiet, not wanting to ruin the moment. All of them found it interesting to watch the two people interact with one another so differently than they did with most others.

"What can I get you to eat?" asked the waitress stepping up, clearly disrupting the atmosphere on purpose as she got as close to Kaito as she could. The two cleared their throats as they turned to her.

"Give me the chicken strips basket please", said Kaito as he handed her his menu.

"Same for me", said Shinara.

"Alright, you guys?" the waitress said turning to Harley and Kazuha.

"Um, give me the shrimp basket", Toyama said as he took a sip of his water.

"I want the corn dog basket please", said Harley as she handed their menus over.

"Oh I want that to", said Aoko.

"I want the fish sticks basket please."

A gasp and cough from Kaito as he choked on his water made Hakuba smirk without even looking over at his rival and friend.

"Alright it will be out in a few moments", she said as she took the rest of the menus and walked away to place the order, sending one final glance back at Kaito who ignored her.

"So where are you planning to go next?" asked Aoko to the others.

"Well, Kazuha and I were thinking about the haunted mansion."

"Oh that sounds fun, can we come!" Aoko asked.

"I don't see why not", replied Harley.

"I think that would be fun", agreed Shinara as she glanced at Kaito who looked resigned to his fate for today, "Is that ok Kai?"

He glanced at her and nodded, "Sounds fine."

"Don't get scared Kuroba", said Hakuba with a snicker, "It may have some…fishy characters inside."

Kaito glared at Hakuba as the detective burst out laughing, everyone confused as to why that seemed to make Saguru so happy and Kaito so mad. Seeing the look he was getting from Shinara, Kaito sighed.

"I don't like fish", he answered.

"No, it's not that he doesn't like them, he hates them. He is scared of them", laughed Hakuba.

"I don't think it's that funny", said Aoko, "You hate bugs."

Saguru stopped laughing and glared at the girl who just smirked back.

The others laughed and continued to chat all through lunch.

"So to the haunted house?"

"Sounds good."

The six left the diner and started towards the haunted mansion on the hill above the amusement park.


	21. The Haunting

**Note*** _Sorry, Scary stories are not my specialty, but try to enjoy ;) _

**Chapter Twenty:**

**The Haunting**

**KID POV**

Kaito stared at the mansion in front of him. According to the information booklet he had grabbed on the way up here with the others, the mansion is considered to be truly haunted at night. The Amusement park bought it, liking that aspect and made it into an attraction. According to the history of the mansion, its occupants were a wealthy family with the name of Kari. Mitsuhiko Kari was the owner and he lived there with his wife Maya and his two children, a girl of fourteen named Yumi and a boy of seven named Gentaro. Legend has it that the family was ruthlessly murdered on the night of a full moon and since then, every night around the same time the moon had come out on the night of their murder, their ghosts appear. Not wanting to be criticized, the Amusement park closes the haunted mansion every day at five, two hours before the supposed first sightings begin.

"You do know its five o clock right now right? The mansion is closed."

"Yeah, but I know the owner of the park", answered Kazuha from the front, "He gave me a pass after I told him earlier that my girlfriend is a detective who was interested in the legend."

"Cool, do you think he would let us hang around tonight and see if we can't see a ghost?"

"Actually I can do you one better", said Toyama with a smile, "I asked him if we could spend the night. Of course I didn't tell him there would be six of us, but I doubt he would mind considering each of us is paired off with a detective. Interested?"

"We come to Tropical land a lot, but never with a chance like this at our fingertips. Let's do it", answered Aoko with excitement.

"I'm fine with it", commented Kaito with a shrug. Shinara also nodded, as did Hakuba who was surprised by his girlfriend's excitement.

"Not scared Aoko?" asked Kaito.

"Nah, this sounds fun", she said with a big grin.

The others just laughed as they headed to the front doors of the mansion where an older gentlemen and a young guard waited.

"Sorry but the mansion is closed for the day", the guard replied.

"My name is Toyama Kazuha, I was given permission by the owner of the park to stay here for the night."

"Oh that's right, the owner did mention a friend of his staying with his detective girlfriend. Although I don't remember him mentioning others."

"This is Shinara Kudo and Saguru Hakuba, also detectives and their respective dates."

The guard nodded to them.

"Alright, well whatever. Here is the key, good luck to you kids, you will need it. The ghosts are somewhat vengeful", he said with a laugh as he walked away.

The old man shook his head at the guard's words before turning to the young people who had come to spend the night in the mansion.

"Let me warn you, don't take the rumors lightly. There is a piece of truth to every great legend."

With those words, the old man walked away without a look back.

DCDCDCDCDC

Kaito sighed as they stepped inside the mansion. The entire place smelt like dust and mold. He could definitely tell it was a park attraction though, as everything looked ten times scarier than just an abandoned old house. The lights flickered and the shadows seemed to move in just the right positions to make the torn pictures on the walls look alive. If he was being honest, he wasn't scared of the idea of ghosts or hauntings, but after having dealt with Akako, the witch from his class, he didn't take the supernatural lightly.

"The owner told me there were plenty of rooms in the mansion so we should help ourselves and feel free to use the kitchen and bathrooms. He said they work fine and are clean compared to the rest of the house as they actually use those areas for tourists."

"That's good, I was afraid we might have to go all the way back down to the park if we had to use the bathroom", said Aoko with relief.

"Nope", said Toyama with a smile, "I know this might sound weird, but how should we do roomies?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kaito, not liking where this was going.

"Well we can't very well sleep with the girls."

"Why can't we?" he demanded.

The others stared at him and he stared back as he glanced at Shinara who face palmed, her face red.

"Kuroba, you…" Hakuba sighed, ignoring the idiot as he started towards the stairs, "let's just all do our own rooms if there is enough. Boys get the right side, girls the left. Sound fine?"

The others agreed as they started upstairs with their bags.

"I liked the suggestion", muttered Kaito with a frown.

Shinara smiled as she grabbed his hand and kissed his cheek.

"Time enough for that later", she said with a wink as she strolled past and left him to think about her words. She glanced back and smirked when she saw how red his face had gone, his mask destroyed.

He cleared his throat and stepped up beside her, "Of course", he said with a grin, "I will be holding you to that."

She nodded and took his hand as they started upstairs, "bring it Kid", she muttered and he just laughed.

DCDCDCDCDC

Kaito stepped into the room furthest down the hall on the right. Shinara had taken the room across from him and Hakuba the room beside his. Each room, he noticed, had a specific type of theme. Toyama's room had apparently been a servant's room, as it was empty for the most part with a few decorations here and there and two twin beds with a nightstand in between.

Hakuba's room had been an office with a large desk seated near the window and decorated to suit it. In the corner of the room was a large couch that had a pull out mattress, which he used for a bed.

Shinara's room was the library and had the same type of set up as the office with a large couch and a pull out mattress. She seemed right at home in her space of books though and he was glad, knowing she would probably be reading in there all night.

Aoko's room was apparently the teenage girls. The room was pink with lots of white lace decorating the windows and bed and with several dolls throughout. He had to admit, her room was probably the creepiest to him.

Then there was Harley who had taken the master bedroom. It was a very large room with a King size bed and a private bathroom. The girls all laid claim to the bathroom as the boys took over the one in the servant's quarters.

Then of course there was my room. I knew what to expect after having seen the others. I knew it would be the little boys, but it still made me a bit uncomfortable upon walking in. The room was a pale blue color with a white curtain over the window. The room, like all of the others, had a stale smell like it hadn't been opened or used in ages, which Kaito knew to be true. There was a small twin bed in the corner with a dresser, a mirror and a small toy box near the closet.

Flipping on the light, it flickered overhead as he placed his stuff on top of the dresser to keep it off the dust covered floor. The bed looked fresh, like the sheets were changed daily for which he was glad, as he flopped back against the bed and took a deep breath.

"Murdered", he whispered, "I know how you feel."

A knock sounded on the door, so he sat up and called to them, "Enter."

Shinara poked her head inside.

"Hey babe, what to do you think of the room?"

"It's fine", he said looking around, "reminds me a little of my own when I was a kid."

She nodded, "Yeah Aoko said the same thing about her room." She turned to him. "The others are going downstairs to talk, want to come?"

"Sure", he said following her.

They went down the stairs where everyone was standing in a circle talking about their rooms and the legend that came with the mansion.

"It was said that the office was where the father was murdered that night", commented Hakuba, a strange enthusiastic gleam in his eye, "I will definitely be watching tonight for a ghost."

"It's supposed to be a full moon tonight, so I bet if any night would have a ghost haunting it would be this one" commented Hakuba.

"The master bedroom was where the mother was murdered" Harley shivered at the thought of anyone coming into her room at night to kill her.

"The servants were also killed in their room", added Toyama as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, trying to comfort her.

"The children were murdered in their rooms too?" asked Aoko, a slight hint of fear showing in her face.

"Actually no", Kaito said, quickly hurrying to make her feel a bit better, "the legend states that the daughter was in the library at the time reading. Her brother was in his room though."

"G-good", said Aoko, "I don't really want to sleep in the room of a murdered girl."

"It will be okay Aoko", Hakuba said stepping towards her and wrapping his arms protectively around her, "I will stay awake with you."

DCDCDCDCDC

That night, the bell tolled nine. The first sightings had been said to be around seven, but any good ghost hunter could tell you it usually didn't start until about ten or later. For this reason, all of the detectives and their dates were wide awake, waiting. Kudo was in the library reading, Kaito lying beside her on the couch against her leg. He hadn't come to this place for ghost hunting, so he didn't mind missing a ghost if it appeared in his room. He did mind, if Shinara saw one though. He wanted to be able to protect her, even though he was sure she wouldn't need too much protecting as she could fairly easily defend herself.

Hakuba and Aoko were doing the same type of thing. They were in the office sitting side by side chatting, waiting. Toyama and Harley were also together in the hallway. They both had their room doors open to see inside and were chatting together about the legend, both excited about the prospect of seeing a ghost.

Kaito sighed as he stood up and stretched. The ninth hour had passed and the bell tolled ten.

"I'm thirsty, do you want something to drink?" he asked Shinara who glanced up.

"No, I'm good. Thank you."

He nodded as he stepped out of the room, the floor cold under his bare feet. He noticed Hakuba and Aoko in the office, their own door open so that they could hear any noises coming from the others.

"Hey, do you guys want a drink?" he asked sticking his head inside.

"Oh, can I have a water?" asked Aoko, "I am kind of thirsty."

"I want something to. I will come with you Kuroba", said Hakuba standing up, stretching much like Kaito had done earlier from sitting so long, "Aoko stay close to Harley and Toyama if you want."

"Or you can go to the library. Shinara is in there reading", offered Kaito.

"I will go to the library then. Be careful Saguru, Kaito."

They nodded as they started down the stairs.

"I hate this", commented Kaito as he glanced around the creepy mansion.

"Are you scared of a little ghost hunting?" asked Hakuba, a bit surprised.

"No! I hate that my date was ruined", he pouted.

"Oh", laughed Hakuba, "Sorry about that. If it makes you feel any better, so was mine. I wasn't expecting Aoko to jump at the chance to spend the night in a haunted mansion like she did."

"Yeah, same with Shin. Still…I guess it is kind of cool. I wouldn't want to do this for more than one night though. It's boring."

Hakuba nodded in agreement.

The two walked into the kitchen, the cleanest room in the entire house. Getting out three glasses, Kaito grabbed the pitcher of water inside the fridge and poured some into the cups. Hakuba grabbed his and Aoko's as Kaito grabbed his own and started back towards their girlfriends.

They were almost there when a scream resonated through the house. It startled the boys so badly that both of them dropped their glasses and rushed up the stairs to where Harley and Toyama were both standing, staring into the master bedroom.

Kaito and Hakuba glanced inside and both froze at the sight. Laying in the bed was a woman with orange colored hair. Her skin was pale and lips gray. She was staring back at them, her eyes a dead glazed over look in them.

Curious, Hakuba took a step towards the door but stopped when Kaito grabbed his arm and pointed. Standing beside the woman was a shadow of no doubt someone behind the door of the bedroom. No one else had noticed it and Hakuba was extremely glad right then that Kaito had. Kaito stepped ahead of Hakuba, his knees were shaking a bit, but he was the master of masks, so he hid his fear as he walked in. Hakuba was right behind him, though a few feet back. He knew Kaito was asking him to watch his back, so he did just that.

From behind the two, Shinara and Aoko were watching as well. Shinara had also seen the shadow and had a bad feeling about it. She was about to say something to that extent when Kaito took his first step into the actual bedroom part of the room. The lights flickered off and on and the house seemed to rattle as he peered closely at the woman on the bed. His mind completely forgot about the shadow as he noticed an oddity in the woman and smiled when he figured it out. However before he could turn around and tell the others, he had taken one more step into the room only to be grabbed and yanked further inside away from the others. The door slammed shut and the others were left pounding on it, trying to get inside to where Kaito had been.

**HAKUBA POV**

I watched as Kaito inched closer into the room. He seemed to be studying the woman rather closely, but I was watching the shadow. It wasn't moving, so perhaps it truly was just a shadow and not a person. Still, I watched as he took another step inside. He must have found something because he was just turning to say something when all at once he was yanked backwards and the door slammed in my face. I groaned, stepping back, my nose having had collided with the door. Blood ran down as I tried to staunch it.

"Hakuba!" they all yelled.

"Come on dear", said Aoko taking me into the bathroom in the servants quarters and washing the blood away as she pressed a cloth to my face. I nodded my thanks to her as we both stepped back into the hall to watch the proceedings.

At the moment, Toyama was pounding on the door calling to Kaito, but there was no answer.

"Kaito!" yelled Shinara, her voice full of worry, "Kaito are you alright?! Kaito answer me!"

Nothing but silence met us.

"The door is either locked or barricaded from the inside", Toyama replied as he tried the handle.

"Perhaps if we all ram it, it will give?" asked Harley.

"We can always pay for another door, but we can't replace a person's life. Let's do it", said Kazuha as they all backed up and then all at once, rushed the door. It gave way, luckily being an older door as they all fell in on top of each other.

Hakuba who had not rammed the door because of his nose, stared into the room above them as they all started to get up. There was no sign of Kaito in the nearby vicinity.

"I will check the bathroom", said Toyama as he stood and made his way across the room and opened the door. It was empty.

"He can't have just vanished. I mean he could but he wouldn't have by his own accord", said Aoko with a huff, she was angry and scared and she just wanted to leave, but she knew they couldn't. Not without Kaito.

Hakuba walked over to the bed. The woman was also gone, but he noticed the covers were still laying how they were when she had been in the bed. Grabbing them, he flipped them back and gasped when he saw Kaito beneath them.

"He's here!" he called to the others who had stepped out of the room.

Hakuba glanced down at the thief. He was pale and a deep gash was located on the top right corner of his forehead where blood pooled beneath his head. His hands were bound in front of him and his legs seemed to be the same way, both bound so tight that it was cutting into his flesh.

"Kaito!" yelled Shinara rushing to her boyfriend, she saw the same things Hakuba did and quickly began undoing the bindings with Harleys help. Once the bindings were off, Shinara ripped a piece of her skirt and stuck it to the head wound that was badly bleeding.

"His body is cold", stated Toyama as he touched it, "I think he is going into shock."

"Let's get him to the couch in the office. It's the only room with hardly any possible ways in and out as it doesn't have any windows."

The others nodded as Toyama and Harley, along with Shinara and Aoko carried him into the office and placed him on the pull out mattress.

"Do we have a first aid kit?" asked Shinara, staring down at Kaito, her concern for his head wound grave.

"Yeah let me go get it", said Harley taking off. Toyama went with her, not wanting her to go alone after something like this.

"This isn't just a haunting now", said Hakuba as he took the cloth off his nose, noticing the blood had stopped, "this is attempted murder."

"Yeah", agreed Shinara as she climbed onto the bed beside Kaito and took his head into her lap, her hands still pressing on the piece of clothing she had placed over the wound.

Harley and Toyama raced back in with the large first aid kit.

"I want to be a doctor like my mom when I get older", Toyama said as he opened the pack, "would it be alright if I treat him?"

"Please", said Shinara giving her consent as she ran a hand though Kaito's hair. He didn't even flinch at the touch.

"H-he is breathing…right?" asked Aoko staring at Kaito, his skin so very pale.

Shinara nodded.

"Yeah he is, but I think he won't be waking for a while. The shock is pretty deep and with the head wound…"

"It's a dangerous situation", explained Hakuba, "the shock itself could kill him, but with the added pressure of a deep and largely bleeding head wound…well, it could be possible that…"

Hakuba didn't even want to go on to say it. He knew Kaito could die, but he just didn't want to say it.

"I-I get it", said Aoko stopping him. She did get it and it frightened her.

"I will call the police", said Hakuba grabbing his phone.

"Don't bother", said Toyama, "I tried earlier to call an ambulance. Service is out."

"Dang", said Hakuba as he snapped his phone shut, "We need to find out who that shadow was and the woman…it seemed like before when Kaito had stepped into the room he noticed something and was about to tell us when the incident occurred."

"So we need to wait for Kaito to wake up?"

"That could be a while. Three of us are detectives…so let's detect", Hakuba said and turned around and stepped out of the room. Harley and Shinara followed him as Shin handed Kaito to Aoko to take care of. She had a criminal to find and once she did, she would make sure that he paid for hurting Kaito.


	22. For Memories Sake

**Note*** Special thanks to _Chic White _for bringing to my attention that I have been putting Christie POV rather than Shinara POV.

**Chapter Twenty-One:**

**For Memories Sake**

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara was still worried about Kaito. It had been an hour since the attack and he had yet to even move. Still, she didn't let that stop her from searching the mansion from top to bottom. Hakuba decided to search outside and around the mansion. Harley took the downstairs and Shinara took it upon herself to begin searching the attic.

Pulling on the drawstring that brought down a staircase, she slowly began to climb, taking each step slowly as she shined her flashlight above her into the darkness. Down below, Toyama watched her with concern. He wasn't going very far from the office in case they needed him, but he was also worried about the detectives each going alone into different areas of the house. He had come for fun to ghost hunt, not to become a part of a hunt for a possible murderer.

Shinara looked around the stuffy attic. Cobwebs and dust covered every inch of the area and it made her want to sneeze. Knowing it was probably not a good idea to breathe in all that dust, she tore another strip from her skirt and tied it around her mouth and nose. Carefully stepping further inside, she noticed at the far back of the attic, past the old furniture that was carefully covered, there was a chest. Kneeling in front of it after making one more sweep of the room behind her with her flashlight, she opened it up. Inside were many different things. There was a dress with a small box of jewelry beside it along with a pair of shoes. On top of the clothes was another box which held a whole bunch of what looked to be family pictures. Blowing off the dust from the clear lid, she set them aside to look through later. Peering inside again, she noticed something that caught her eye. It was a stack of letters. She grabbed the bundle and placed them with the box of photos as she closed the lid and started back down the stairs. 'Perhaps' she thought to herself, 'this might hold a clue.'

**HAKUBA POV**

Hakuba looked around outside the mansion. He was standing in front of the area leading to the second story master bedroom window. He didn't see anything that immediately stood out to him, but he did notice that the flowers down below seemed more wilted than the rest of the flowers on the other sides of the house. Snapping a picture with his cell phone, he glanced up at the window. He was about to go back inside when he noticed the window of the library was cracked open. He stared at it, watching for any sign of movement, but he didn't see anything. Perhaps Kudo had opened it earlier? He wondered to himself. He snapped a picture with his cell phone again of the window and started back inside. He needed to check that out before anything else.

**HARLEY POV**

Harley looked around the first floor area. The kitchen was clean with no sign of entry since Kaito had gone to get water. The first floor bathroom and closet were also empty. The living room and dining room were creepier than she wanted to admit, with the pictures practically looking at her as she searched, but she couldn't find anything pointing to an intruder. She stopped however when she noticed the rug at the far end of the living room was folded over slightly. Getting down and lifting it, she noticed the dust had been recently disturbed as well. She was just about to turn and call the others when a shadow fell across her as she turned around and screamed.

**TOYAMA POV**

I checked over the head wound on Kuroba again. It was still bleeding, but not as badly as it had been. The gash was pretty deep and he honestly needed medical attention as soon as possible, but for the moment he knew there wasn't much more that could be done. He had already treated the boy's wrists and ankles that had been cut into by the ropes he was found bound in. As for his condition, the shock had yet to wear off. Toyama hoped it did soon. He knew for a fact that the longer one was in a state of shock, the harder and more improbable it was that one would come out of it. Toyama was just about to sit down for a bit when a scream caught his attention.

"Harley", he whispered and dashed down the stairs to the dining room.

When he arrived, Hakuba was standing over Harley who was collapsed on the floor.

"What happened?" Toyama demanded, fear swarming his mind as he rushed to his fallen girlfriend. She didn't look hurt, but she was unconscious.

"S-sorry", stuttered Hakuba with a red face, "I came in to ask her something and when I did she turned around, screamed, and then she kind of…well…she fainted."

"S-she fainted", Toyama repeated before sighing in relief and laughing, "Thank God. I was so scared for a moment."

Hakuba chuckled nervously, feeling a bit bad about scaring her as much as he had. He hadn't even thought about the possibly that she would think he was the killer and pass out.

"Everything okay?" asked Shinara, running down the stairs towards them.

"Yeah, false alarm", laughed Toyama.

"Good", breathed Shinara with a sigh of relief.

"Hey Shinara, did you open the library window by chance?" Hakuba asked.

Shinara stared at him a moment in thought before shaking her head.

"No I didn't. Why?"

"Cause it was open", he said before the two of them froze and then rushed up the stairs, leaving Toyama with Harley.

When they rushed into the library, the window was still open and there were signs of a forced entry at the edge where the wood of the window frame had been pushed out causing cracks to appear. They turned and stepped towards the office and noticed the door was closed.

"It was open when we first passed", Shinara whispered, dread filling her.

Hakuba kicked the door open and rushed inside. Kaito was still laying on the bed, just as he had been, but Aoko was nowhere in sight.

DCDCDCDCDC

**AOKO POV**

Aoko woke, her head throbbing as she looked around. The area she found herself in was pitch black with no light whatsoever. Standing up, she stumbled when she tripped over something. She caught herself but found her hands in something wet. Sniffing it, she about gagged when she discovered it smelt like sewer.

"Hello!" she yelled, "Anyone! Can you hear me! Hakuba! Kaito! Shinara! Kazuha! Harley!"

Nothing but her own voice echoed back at her.

"Guys! I need you!" she yelled, tears slipping down her cheeks as she looked around for anything she could find to show her where she was, but everything was so dark. She decided to keep walking until she could find something. The walls were grimy under her hand, but she slid along it, hoping it would lead her to a possible escape.

**HARLEY POV**

Harley woke with a groan and found herself eye to eye with Toyama who was watching her with both a bit of a concern and a bit of amusement.

"What?" she asked sitting up, her shoulder sore from where she must have landed on it.

"You fainted after Hakuba scared you", he said, a small snicker hiding in his words.

She glared at him and stood up, pushing him away.

"Well excuse me for being frightened of a shadow", she muttered as she started to step away then stopped.

"Oh that's right", she said rushing up the stairs, "Hey guys!" she yelled.

Toyama was right behind her when they entered the office and froze, seeing Hakuba's fearful expression and Shinara's concerned one.

"What's wrong?"

"Aoko is gone", Shinara said as she took Kaito back into her arms, his breathing she noticed was a bit deeper than it had been before.

"We looked but she isn't upstairs anymore", said Hakuba, his face showing how distraught he was feeling.

"I think I might know how our shadow keeps vanishing" Said Harley, catching everyone's attention, "I found a trap door down below."

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara watched the others headed down stairs. She wasn't going to leave Kaito up here alone though in case he woke up. His breathing seemed better and he didn't look near as pale, perhaps he was finally coming out of the shock of the incident. Still, Kaito isn't an easy person to overwhelm. She wondered what had occurred in the room during that time they couldn't get the door opened.

Running her hands through his curly dark hair, she thought about all the time she had ever seen Kaitou Kid injured. It wasn't many, but she remembered the case where he had been shot in his eye, his monocle on the ground after it had fallen, broken into pieces. He later turned up disguised as one of the police officers, but she had noticed right away the way he had grimaced now and again as though hiding pain.

Another time she could remember was when his arm had been shot during a heist. He had escaped alright, but his flying skills had looked pretty wobbly as she had watched him glide away from the rooftops. Still, she had never seen him as badly hurt as he was now.

"You keep getting hurt for me", she said glancing at his bandaged right hand and bandaged chin. She was tired of letting him get hurt for her.

A tightening of the grip around her hand surprised her when she looked down to see his eyes barely open to slits. He sent her a weak smile before falling unconscious again soon after.

"Silly boy", she whispered kissing his forehead near the bandage, "even now you want to protect me. Let me protect you."

Standing up, she covered him with a blanket and left the room. She had a killer to find.

**HAKUBA POV**

Hakuba opened the trap door in the dining room. He was surprised when he saw a ladder leading down to what looked to be a sewer.

"Weird for this to be in the dining room of the house", commented Toyama, "You would think it would be in the basement."

"Let's get down there. I have a feeling Aoko is down there", whispered Hakuba as he started down. He stopped when he spotted Shinara heading towards them.

"He woke up", she said upon entering.

"Is he alright?"

"I think so. He was only awake for a moment before falling back unconscious but I wanted to tell you before you left. Toyama, would you mind staying with him?"

Toyama nodded as he headed back up the stairs.

"You could stay to, you know?" said Hakuba, seeing her watching Toyama.

She shook her head.

"Kaito would want me to find Aoko. Let's go."

Hakuba nodded as he started down.

"Wait for me Aoko", he whispered to the darkness below, "I'm coming."

**KILLER POV**

I watched from the shadows as they moved down into the sewer. They didn't even seem to realize they were being watched from behind. The one they called Aoko was down there, but she was not a threat to him. She hadn't seen him. The one called Kaito however…he needed to deal with that loose end. He hadn't been expecting the boy to land on his feet when he had pulled him into the room and sent him flying. The boy had turned and grinned at him, clearly confident about his actions.

"So you're the one who makes the sightings occur", he had said, still grinning, "I noticed it when I looked closer at the woman. I'm just surprised it's you considering the history of this place. One would think you wanted this place respected rather than feared."

"You know nothing", he had yelled at the boy, "This place wouldn't be here without me! Everything was fine until you showed up!"

"You could have hid, so why didn't you?" the boy had asked, truly curious.

"More would have come to see if this place was truly haunted or not. If I had hid you would have told everyone you saw nothing. I couldn't have that. People must fear this place. They must fear me!"

He had attacked the boy. He couldn't let him tell everyone the truth. The boy was quick though and had dodged most everything he had thrown at him, until he grabbed the vase from the nearby dresser and smashed it into the boys' face, a large piece of glass embedding itself into his skin and slicing through. He had caught the boy and placed him on the bed, the woman being moved. He covered him to hide his body for a bit to throw the others off. The boy hadn't been breathing, so he thought he was in the clear.

He gritted his teeth in aggravation as he headed up the stairs. If only he had made sure right then that the boy was truly dead.

"Oh well", he promised himself, "he soon would be."

**AOKO POV**

Aoko had finally found a light. Turning it on, she found she was in a storage room that was flooded with what seemed to be sewer water. Inside the room, she gasped when she saw the woman from before laying there on a slab of concrete.

"A dummy?" she questioned as she stepped closer.

The eyes seemed to be following her the closer she got, but sure enough, it was just a doll. Beside that doll were several others, each dressed to represent someone who had died in the house.

"So this is how the hauntings work", she whispered with a laugh as she looked around the room. She spotted the door at the far side. It was practically hidden from view. No wonder she hadn't felt it when she had been stumbling around.

Pushing on it, she felt it give slightly, but the door was heavy and would hardly budge anymore.

"Aoko" voices shouted from somewhere.

"I'm here!" she yelled as loud as she could, "I'm in here!"

Silence met her, then all at once several voices.

"Aoko we are coming! Hang on!"

"Hakuba!" she yelled glancing back into the room, if the killer wasn't here with her and they were down here in the sewer searching for her…where was the killer?

Her eyes widened as everything seemed to make sense all at once.

"Hakuba! Get to Kaito! He is going after Kaito! Hurry!"

"Shinara and Harley are going back, I will get you out!" Hakuba yelled through the door as he searched for a way to open it. He knew this is where she was located, but why couldn't he see a way to open the hidden door?

"You see anything on your side?" he called to her.

"Nothing", she called back.

He scowled in aggravation as he looked around. He studied the hidden door for a moment before noticing a loose brick right beside it. Grabbing it, he pulled the brick out after a few moments struggle and was rewarded to find a key hole hidden there.

"I found a key hole, hang on I am going to try to pick it."

"Okay", Aoko replied as she waited, fear for Kaito and fear for herself being stuck in this room, filling her. She pushed those feelings aside as she felt a panic attack start to make its way into her, her breathing coming out in short pants.

The door opened and she fell back in surprise only to be caught by Hakuba who pulled her into his arms, his face buried in her hair.

"Thank God you are okay", he whispered into her ear.

She smiled as she buried her head in his shoulder, "Thank you for finding me", she said, her breathing going back to normal now that she was out.

"I will always find you", he whispered and kissed her as he reminded himself again and again that she was alive and well.

**SHINARA POV**

How stupid could she get? She asked herself as she ran down the sewer towards the ladder leading back into the mansion. She had promised to protect him and she left him there alone with just Toyama. Why hadn't she realized it might be a trap to lure them away from him?

"He will be okay", said Harley beside her.

Shinara didn't say anything back to her, she just ran as fast as she could hoping she made it back in time.

**KID POV**

Kaito groaned as he opened his eyes. His head was pounding like crazy and he felt sick to his stomach.

"Don't move to much", a voice replied, "You have a concussion without a doubt."

Kid didn't need to be told not to move. As soon as he had, pain had crashed into him nearly knocking him back into the darkness again. Instead, he fought against it and opened his, barely making out Toyama in front of him.

"Shin?" he whispered, his voice coming out weak and raspy.

"She went to search for Aoko with the others."

"Aoko?" he asked confused, trying to think about if he remembered anything about Aoko being in danger. Wasn't it only Shin and Harley who had been kidnapped?

"Do you remember what happened?" asked Toyama, his face concerned.

"Shin and Harley were kidnapped", he whispered.

Toyama frowned.

"That was a couple days ago. Do you remember anything about the haunted Mansion?"

Haunted…Mansion…why did that sound familiar? He wondered. He closed his eyes, trying to remember. "Haunted Mansion", he whispered out loud, "that's right…Kari. Mitsuhiko Kari. Toyama, he…"

Kaito froze when he saw the person enter the room behind Toyama.

"Behind you!" he shouted.

Toyama turned only to be knocked out by a pan slamming down onto his head. Toyama hit the floor and didn't get back up.

"Why did you do this", Kaito asked him again, "You could have just vanished into the Legend."

The man frowned as he looked at the boy laying in the bed.

"How old are you?" he asked Kaito.

"Seventeen", Kaito replied. He didn't know why this mattered, but he told him, seeing the sadness and pain in the man's eyes.

"Gentaro never did see his seventeenth birthday", the man replied, a lost look in his eyes, "Nor did Yumi. Maya had always wondered what type of people our children would turn out to be. They were killed before we ever could find out."

"They all died that night didn't they?" asked Kaito, his mask securely in place, "Even you, who didn't actually meet his death, your soul died."

The man stared at Kaito, a strange look in his eyes as he smiled.

"It's nice that someone now knows", he said as he nodded, "The night my wife and children died and I couldn't save them, I also died. I had escaped into the sewer system where I had stored my puppets I had made when I was in college. I loved making puppets. I took the one that looked most like me and placed it in my office and then lit the house on fire. Most of it was destroyed, along with the bodies of my family."

"Until the Amusement park bought the house and rebuilt it, just as it was before. Right?"

The man nodded.

"I was the owner of it still by right and changed my name to that of someone close to the former family. The owner of the Amusement Park however knew who I really was and bought it off of me. I didn't want to sell, but he offered me the chance to be a part of the attraction by making the hauntings appear at night when people came by to peek at the house. I wanted to honor my family and as long as everyone remembers them, I figured they would always exist in the hearts of the people and then make sure that…that killer, never wins!"

"You wanted them to be remembered. So why attack me?"

"If you found out it was fake, you would have told people, would you not?"

"Probably the others would have", admitted Kaito, his head pounding as spots floated across his vision as he sat up slowly.

"I couldn't have you tell them the truth, that the ghosts aren't real. I need them to be remembered!" the man shouted, his grief filling his words, "I can't let you survive! I can't let their memory be destroyed!"

He grabbed a knife from his belt and rushed forward to attack. Kaito grabbed the pillow and let the knife sink into it, its tip coming to rest right before his face. The man pulled back again to bring it down, only to stop when Shinara and Harley rushed in.

"Kaito!" Shin yelled, fear in her eyes when she noticed the man holding a knife above the bed bound Kaito.

Harley tackled the man and knocked him down, however she was surprised when Kaito jumped out of the bed and grabbed her wrist, stopping her from punching the fallen man again.

"Stop, he doesn't need you to hit him. He's done. Stop."

Harley and Shin both stared down in surprise to see the old man from before laying there. He was crying where he laid, the knife laying slack in his hand as he mumbled the words over and over again, "I'm so, so sorry"…"I'm so sorry."

"Mitsuhiko Kari", Kaito whispered and the man looked up, "You killing…the killer already won."

The man's eyes widened as he cried and threw the knife far away. "I'm so…so sorry!"

"It's all over", whispered Kaito as his body gave out and began to fall back.

"Kaito!" yelled Shinara rushing forward to catch him. She lowered him down until he was sitting on the ground, his skin pale again and sweat covering his brow and face.

"It's all over", he whispered again and passed out.

She nodded, her hand clutching his as he she kissed it, "Yeah, it's all over."

DCDCDCDCDC

The following morning when the park reopened, they called the police. They arrested the older man who had been unconscious since last night after his tears had stopped and led him away in the back of a police car. Thanks to Kaito's explanation, everyone now knew what had happened. They couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the old man, but no one agreed with what he did, especially his attacks on Kaito, Aoko, and Toyama.

"It makes sense now", said Shinara as she placed the box of photos and letters she had found in the chest, "That old man had wanted people to remember them, so he had placed all of the last of their true belongings in the attic, to keep them safe. I wondered why someone would do that when their things should have been given to the remaining family. He was still alive, so he wanted to keep their memory alive, even within himself."

"I already talked to the park owner. He is going to close down the haunted mansion and make it into a museum piece in memory of the family, including the father who he is going to say truly died that night."

"He did die that night", answered Kaito from where he sat getting treated by a medic, "His soul had died."

The others nodded, a deep melancholy falling over them as they glanced up at the house.

"Let's get going", Toyama replied as he put his arm around Harley and headed towards the park exit.

Hakuba and Aoko followed behind them as Shinara climbed into the ambulance beside of Kaito. He still looked pale and was trembling a bit, but she could see he would be fine.

"I feel for him", he whispered as he stared at the house, "I understand why he did what he did."

Shinara didn't reply. She couldn't understand the feeling, but she knew Kaito did, so she just held his hand, comforting him as he grieved over his own loss; the loss of his father.

As the double doors closed on the ambulance and it started towards the exit of the park, he glanced back one more time at the window of the master bedroom and blinked when he thought for sure he saw a woman and two children standing there watching him go, a soft smile on their faces.

He felt glad that he could help the family get some peace. He knew that his own father would have been unhappy had he done something like that in order to keep his memory alive.

"You're welcome", he whispered to them as the ambulance got further and further away.


	23. Remorse

**Chapter Twenty-Two:**

**Remorse **

**KID POV**

Kaito woke up to a quiet beeping. His head was killing him but he felt a lot better than he had been feeling the last few times he had been conscious. Glancing around, he noticed Shinara sitting in the chair beside his bed, her body laying slack as she slept deeply, unaware of his awakening. He smiled at her. She is so beautiful, he thought looking at her silver and black hair that seemed to glow from the moonlight that filled the room; the window cracked open allowing a light breeze in.

He sat up slowly, dizziness making him be cautious with every little movement he made. Spotting his phone sitting on the table to the side of him, he grabbed it and flipped it open.

"2:15am", he whispered, "March 5th."

He couldn't believe it. He had been asleep for an entire day. Groaning quietly, he lowered himself back down to a laying position, his head yelling at him to take it easy.

"Oh your awake", said a voice from the doorway.

He looked over to see Hakuba standing there with a tall man in a white lab coat. He guessed that was his doctor.

"Are you feeling alright?" asked the doctor stepping inside, "any dizziness or nausea?"

"Both", answered Kaito, closing his eyes when the doctor shined a bright light into them.

"Sorry, but your pupils still seem a bit sluggish. You have one heck of a concussion Mr. Kuroba", the doctor said with a chuckle, "I think its best you try to sleep some more if you can."

Kaito gave a slight wave of his hand as indication that he heard the doctor as the guy left the room leaving Shin sleeping and Hakuba standing there awkwardly.

"You're looking better than the last time I saw you awake", Hakuba said with a small smile, "you had everyone pretty worried."

"Sorry", Kaito whispered, watching Hakuba with curiosity. It was unusual for the English Detective to be worrying over him.

"Not your fault", Hakuba muttered as he glanced at Shinara, lowering his voice to an even quieter pitch, "She especially has been worried."

Kaito glanced at Shinara. He knew he had scared her. After they had run in and caught the old man before he stabbed him and then Kaito had once again collapsed, Shinara had refused to leave his side. The entire night, she stayed on the bed with him, holding him, seemingly scared to even let go.

"She blamed herself for your being attacked again", said Hakuba interrupting his reminiscing, "She had went down into the sewers with us and left you open to attack."

"Toyama was there", Kaito whispered.

Hakuba glared at him.

"Toyama isn't a detective, nor is he someone who can really fight if his life even depended on it. Aoko luckily seemed to figure out the killers plan and warned us to get back to you."

"Is she okay?" asked Kaito thinking of his childhood friend. Last time he had seen her, she looked pretty messed up with tears running down her cheeks.

"She's fine. She's resting in the next room over actually. He had hit her pretty hard on the head, so they decided it was best to place her under a night watch at least until they knew for sure if there was any after effects. She sort of fell into a state of shock like you did."

"I see", Kaito replied with a sigh as he closed his eyes.

"I better let you sleep. Let the nurse know if you need anything or text me. I will be in the room next to you."

Kaito gave him a small wave as he Hakuba left. He opened his eyes and glanced once more at Shinara before smiling and then closing his eyes, drifted to sleep.

DCDCDCDCDC

The next time Kaito woke up, the sun shining through his window and the same beep he always woke up to was loud at it seemed to echo through his head. He clenched his teeth in pain as he spotted the nurse call button and pushed it. A few moments later a nurse came in and she didn't even have to ask what was wrong to see he was in pain. Grabbing his empty morphine bag, she replaced it with a new one before giving a smile and a pat on his hand.

"It should take effect in a moment" she said before turning and leaving the room again.

He didn't argue it with her as he closed his eyes trying to ignore the sounds around him. That was until a specific sound caught his attention.

"Is he okay?" asked the beautiful, loving voice of his girlfriend.

"He's fine dearie, just needed a new dose of morphine. He has a grade 4 concussion, so it isn't much of a surprise that he would be in so much pain.

Shinara sighed in relief as she stepped inside the room, surprised to see him staring at her. She smiled as she moved closer to the bed.

"Hey there sleepy head", she said as she looked him over. He wasn't as pale as he had been for which she was relieved.

"Seems like we can't do anything without one of us getting hurt, huh?" he asked, the sarcasm dripping from his voice with a slight hint of bitterness.

She frowned in sympathy. She knew how he felt. Hattori was always telling her she was a trouble magnet and it seemed with Kaito around, it doubled.

"I…" she paused before taking a breath, "I'm sorry."

He looked at her like she had grown two heads.

"Why are you sorry?"

"I left you alone with Toyama and the killer almost…" she struggled to get her words calmed as the tears threatened to spill over.

He grabbed her hand from the bed and yanked her over so that she fell on top of him. She moved to get off, not wanting to hurt him but he strengthened his grip on her wrist until she flinched in pain. He loosened it when he saw her flinch and he immediately kissed it in apology as he grabbed her chin and turned her face to look at him. He could see the deep regret and pain in them.

"You saved me", he whispered to her, "You always have. I love you Shinara."

He brought his face just a few centimeters from her own.

"I am going to kiss you now", he said and he did.

She felt his lips against hers and she accepted him as he pushed with his tongue for access to her mouth. His tongue found hers and they fought for control over the area. She noticed he was smiling as he kissed her and she couldn't help but smile back as she gave in allowed him control. He fell back against the bed, bringing her with him as he did. He slipped his hand under the back of her shirt and caressed the smooth skin of her lower back as he kissed her more deeply, closing his eyes as he took his other free hand and moved it up to caress her cheek. He pulled out of the kiss to let them both have a moment to breathe before smiling at her and laying his forehead against her own.

"See", he whispered breathlessly, "I am alive; you saved me."

She chuckled as tears cascaded down her cheeks in release of all the pent up emotions she had been carrying with her.

"I-I love you…Kaito", she whispered as she captured his mouth with her own again and then buried her head in his neck, full out crying now.

He smiled as he removed his hand from her back and placed it on her head, rubbing her hair in a comforting manner as he used his other hand to encircle her waist and hold her to him.

"I love you too, Shinara" he said and closed his eyes, enjoying the moment.


	24. Truth

**Chapter Twenty-Three:**

**Truth**

**KID POV**

Kaito sat in the wheelchair as he was pushed down the hall by Hakuba. He was finally allowed to go home after having been in the hospital a little over a week. His mom had come by and visited him a couple of times, but he was glad to finally be able to go home and stay in his own bed with his mom constantly around in case he needed her.

Wheeled outside, Hakuba stopped him short of the curb as they waited for his mom and Shinara to arrive.

"You know you don't have to stay with me. I will be okay waiting here alone", commented Kaito to Hakuba who looked bored to death.

"Nonsense", said Hakuba as he stepped up beside Kaito and glanced at him, "We have been through everything else together, I wish to make sure you are truly safe at home before I leave. Last thing I want is to hear something happened after I left you alone. Shinara-chan would have my head, not to mention Aoko would as well."

Kaito laughed, picturing Aoko chasing Hakuba around with the mop that she usually reserved just for him. Hakuba smirked, knowing exactly what it was Kaito was picturing in his mind.

"I really am glad you're alright", Hakuba said after a moment of silence.

"Thanks", Kaito answered, surprised at the sincerity he could hear in Hakuba's voice, "It means a lot."

Hakuba gave a nod as Kaitos mothers black car pulled up to the curb.

"Kaito dear!" his mother yelled as she got out of the drivers' seat and Shinara got out of the passengers'.

With Hakuba's help, they lowered him into the passenger seat, his head spinning slightly with the movement even though they were trying to go slow.

"You alright baby?" asked his mother.

Kaito gave a short nod. Shinara squeezed his hand in an attempt to give comfort as his face turned pale. Hakuba and Shinara both climbed into the back as they headed towards his family home. Kaito kept his eyes closed the entire trip, the moving vehicle causing his nausea to return with a vengeance. When the car finally stopped indicating they had arrived home, he opened his eyes and found himself face to face with the worried Jii.

"Young Master", he said as he opened the door and unbuckled his seat belt.

"H-hey Jii", he said as he waited for his mother and the others to get around to his side before trying to move.

His legs betrayed him as he fell forward, luckily being caught by Hakuba and Jii who put his arms around their shoulders. His mother raced to the front door to get it open as Shinara followed from behind with the bags.

"Put him on the couch", his mother indicated and they nodded as they settled him onto the couch, his eyes squeezed shut.

"Kaito", said Shinara.

He opened his eyes and saw a water bottle and a couple pills in her hands.

"Take these. The doctor gave them to us to help with the pain he was sure would come with being moved so much. He said to stay in bed for the next week and even after that not to move much more than what you absolutely must."

Kaito sighed and gave a short, slow nod as he took the pills she had indicated and leaned back against the arm of the couch, trying to get his breathing back under control.

"I will take my leave", said Hakuba seeing he was going to be asleep soon, "call me Mrs. Kuroba if you need anything."

"Thanks Hakuba-Kun", she said as he gave a short bow and a wave to Shinara before he left the house on his way to his own home.

Jii also took his leave as he said he had things to attend to.

Shinara sighed as she sat down on the edge of the couch next to Kaito who was already lightly snoring away. He was so tired and still so pale… she reached out and brushed his face. A slight warmth remained from his earlier high fever at the hospital, but overall he was much better than he had been.

"Shinara, I take it you are staying over tonight?" asked Chikage from where she watched the two interact. She could tell her son loved Shinara and she was happy to see Shinara seemed to feel the same.

"Yes please Mrs. Kuroba, if you don't mind my intrusion."

"No intrusion dear", she said with a smile, "please call me Chikage."

"Thank you Chikage-san", she said with a smile back.

Chikage stepped into the kitchen to make dinner as Shinara glanced back at the sleeping boy.

"I can't lose you Kaito", she whispered as she bent and kissed his forehead, "I want to know everything about you."

"Then…" whispered the quiet voice, "I will tell you everything."

"Kaito", she said stunned to see his eyes open, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I…"

"Shh", he shushed her, sticking a finger to her lips, "I am glad I woke to hear you say that. I don't want to keep lying to you if it hurts you."

"But I don't want you telling me if you don't want to", she started.

He shook his head, interrupting her. "I want to. Just give me a few minutes to prepare myself."

She nodded as he leaned into her, his eyes drifting closed once again.

That night, Kaito took her to the roof. He was still a bit dizzy, but he felt far better than he had the entire time he had been in the hospital.

"Should you really be outside right now?" she asked feeling the slight chill in the air.

"I need to see the sky for a bit", he said as he sat down against the chimney and offered her his hand. She took it and hunkered down beside him, his arms wrapped around her.

"Let me tell you a story, Shinara", he whispered to her.

She nodded as she leaned back against him and listened to his words as they were spoken into her ear, all feelings he had about them hidden from his voice.

"It all started with a boy and his father. His father was the greatest of men and the best magician the world had ever known. He was a thief, but he was also a man who knew how to live life to its fullest. The man, Toichi Kuroba fell in love with another thief named Chikage and together they had a son who they named Kaito. Toichi loved Kaito and Chikage and for this reason he was always careful when he went out on Kaitou Kid missions. One day a group, MKO, came to Toichi with a proposition to steal a specific jewel. Toichi accepted, however when he found out why they wanted the jewel, he hid it from them. They were angry and one day when Toichi was having a magic show on a regular stage, they killed him in front of his son. Said son grew up and one day he discovered his father's secret. He decided to play the part of the thief to draw out his father's killers and perhaps even find the jewel his father had hid and destroy it once and for all."

Shinara absorbed the information Kaito had just given her. She always knew the thief had been searching for a specific jewel, but she never knew it had such a tragic backstory behind it.

"What is the jewel?" she asked.

"It's called Pandora. It's said to give immortality when it cries. It's tears can only be seen on the night of a full moon."

"I see. Thank you for telling me."

Kaito nodded and was silent for a moment, a tense sort of awkwardness in the air.

"Will you tell me yours?" he asked after a moment,

She turned to him with a guarded look. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around her more.

"Never mind, you don't have to."

She shook her head with a sigh as she turned to face him.

"No, it's time you knew. The Black Organization that we took down, they poisoned me a year ago. It was because of them that my life was changed, not necessarily for the greater good."

"What to do you mean?" he asked confused.

"Christie Edogawa", she whispered glancing at him, seeing his surprised expression, "I was poisoned and it shrunk me into the body of an eight year old child."

"So you are…", he stopped, she could tell he was having a bit of trouble wrapping his head around this news, "Why did you tell me you were her…your… cousin?"

"I didn't want you looking into it more than you needed to. The BO are dangerous and … with Chianti, Vodka, and the boss, not to mention Vermouth and Bourbon still on the loose, I didn't want you in more danger than you needed to be in. However when I found about snake and MKO …well, I think you can handle this information."

He nodded, silent as he stared at the moon, his face expressionless so that she couldn't read how he was really taking the news. She did just tell him that his earlier rival who was a child was actually her.

"You know", he whispered, gathering her attention, "when I first saw you on the balcony, after you must have just turned back to being you; I thought for sure it was Christie. The scene looked so familiar and that was one of the reasons I had run after you at the time. I wanted to see who you were and why you seemed to catch my attention as much as you did."

"Who knew it would turn into a relationship like this, huh?" she asked with a laugh.

He smiled back at her and nodded, "Yeah, but I don't think I would change anything."

"Why would you want to?" she said sarcastically with a wink and a laugh.

He blushed and then quickly corrected himself, "Not that I would want you to go through all that if we could go back and change it, but…I just am really glad I met you, Shinara."

She smiled and leaned against him and kissed his neck, a shiver running through him at the contact. "I am really glad I met you to, Kaito."

He glanced at the moon and then looked at her beneath him on the roof.

"You know there is a reason they call me the moonlight magician", he said in a whisper, "Care to find out?"

She grinned into the kiss as he pressed his lips to hers.

"Let's take it inside first."

He laughed and helped her up.

"After you then, milady", he said as they dropped into his room and landed on the bed with a thump. "Now", he muttered, "where were we?"

It didn't take them long to find their place again.


	25. Moonlight Magician

**Note*** **This chapter will be rated M**. If you do not like, please don't read and/or skip to the next chapter. Thank you. Also this chapter will be a lot shorter than most.

**Chapter Twenty-four: **

**Moonlight Magician**

Kaito kissed her neck as he she laid beneath him. He took off his jacket and kicked his shoes off as he climbed to straddle the teen girl in front of him. She smiled as she did the same and leaned up to meet him as she put her arms around his neck and brought his head down into a deep kiss, her tongue entering his mouth, the taste of cherry filling it from the desert Kaitos mother had made for dinner. He grabbed the hem of his shirt as he lifted it up and over his head and pressed his chest against hers as he began kissing her down her neck until it reached her collarbone. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, he waited for her okay before helping her lift it over her head and off of her. He glanced down at her bra and smiled when he saw the nervous look she was giving him.

"I will go as slow as you want and if I do anything you don't like, just tell me."

She nodded, relaxing at his words as he kissed down her collarbone to her stomach area. Gently, he bit her stomach and she moaned as he licked it to make up for the red mark he had left. She did the same as she leaned up and began kissed his shoulders and broad neck. She hesitated a bit when she reached a few of his more recent scars but they didn't seem to be hurting him so she continued down, being gentle as she reached his sensitive stomach. He moaned as she reached his belly button and licked it, making him shiver. She smiled at his cuteness.

Nervously, she unbuttoned his pants and unzipped the zipper on them. He took over from there and pulled them off, throwing them to the floor. She followed suit and took her own pants off leaving them two of them in nothing but their undergarments.

The two looked over one another, each appreciating the finer points of their bodies as he leaned against her and kissed her, nuzzling into her neck in pure gratitude for such a woman to be his and his alone.

"Kaito, do you mind?" she asked indicating his underwear.

He blushed and shook his head. She smiled nervously as she slipped her hand in and he moaned, his body shivering as she touched him. He followed suit and slipped his own hand in hers, her body growing hot beneath his as the two felt one another. He reached behind her back and undid her bra with his hands and slipped it off, throwing it to the floor with the rest of their clothes. He sent her a wink as he lowered his head and kissed her chest before teasing the sensitive areas and kissing them. She moaned beneath him as he licked them and bit gently. She tensed and he stopped.

"Sorry", he muttered.

She shook her head, "just not used to it."

He smiled, "I promise I will be gentle. Remember to stop me if you don't want to go on."

She nodded as he slipped her underwear off along with his own. He prepped the area for entrance and even put on lube to make the process easier before turning to her.

"Ready?" he asked.

She nodded, both of them nervous as he entered. She dug her fingers into his arms as he went slow, trying not to hurt her any more than he already was. He grimaced at the pain it was causing her, but she wasn't telling him to stop so he kept going. Tears filled her eyes, but she bit her lip in an attempt not to cry out. Once he was fully in, he began the thrusting motion. She and he both moaned as they began to reach their climax. It was only when they both came that he pulled out of her and flopped over beside her, exhausted.

"That was marvelous", he whispered into her ear.

She grinned and cuddled into his side as his eyes closed. She could tell he was already fast asleep. Grabbing the comforter, she covered the two of them up as she cradled his arm to her as sleep beckoned and she gave into the call, her eyes closing and the only thought on her mind at the time was that this moment was definitely magical.


	26. Reunion

**Chapter Twenty-five:**

**Reunion**

**KID POV**

Kaito woke to find his arms around Shinara, their bodies pressed comfortably together where they lay on the bed beneath the comforter. He smiled when he looked down at her peaceful face. She always looked so beautiful. Kissing her forehead, he waited for her to open her eyes before sitting up.

"Kaito?" she asked yawning.

He smiled, holding her to him.

"Good morning Shin-chan", he whispered as he set his chin on her head, hugging her close to his chest. She leaned into the embrace, a small smile on her face.

"Good morning Kai-Kun", she whispered back.

She leaned up and kissed him on the lips. He closed his eyes, enjoying the taste of her mouth for a moment longer before slipping out of bed and grabbing some clothes to change into. She watched him in appreciation as he changed before standing up and doing the same.

"So any plans for today?" he asked.

"Not really, but remember the doctors told you to take it easy for a week at least."

"Yeah, yeah", he muttered, hating the feeling of being unable to do what he wanted.

She just laughed at his rebellious and pouty attitude as she slipped on her sweatshirt and pulled on her shoes, waiting for him before heading downstairs to the kitchen where Chikage-san was waiting with breakfast, a smile on her face as she sipped her coffee and read the newspaper.

"This looks great Chikage-san", she said as she grabbed a plate of the bacon and eggs and took a seat at the table across from Kaito's mother.

"Thank you dear. How did you two sleep?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Kaito glared at his mother, knowing exactly what she was getting at.

"Very well thank you", Shinara said, either ignoring the glint in his mothers' eye or oblivious to it.

Chikage just smiled as she glanced at Kaito and smirked. He just glared back as he grabbed a plate and sat down with a tall glass of milk, whereas Shinara was having her usual pitcher of coffee she liked to guzzle every morning before doing anything else. It was something she had desperately missed as Christie.

"So what will you be doing today?" asked his mother, "Nothing strenuous I hope."

"Nah", he said shaking his head, "Actually I was thinking…well…if you wanted to…"

"What is it?" Shinara asked, surprised to see him at a loss for words.

"Do you want to meet my dad?"

His mother froze and Shinara did as well.

"I…" she stopped and swallowed hard before answering, "I would love to meet your father, Kaito."

He smiled as he dug into his food. He kept his eyes averted from his mothers, but had he looked up, he would have seen her smiling.

**SHINARA POV**

After breakfast, the two of them got ready to leave, but Chikage caught Shinara's arm for a moment before that to have a word with her. Kaito was suspicious of what his mother was telling Shinara, but Shin only smiled and gave Chikage a hug before grabbing Kaito's hand and dragging him out of the house with her. Kaito stumbled after her before he pulled back, stopping her fast moving trek.

"Slow down babe", he mumbled as he wiped his forehead and grimaced, "I can't move that fast yet it seems."

Shinara lifted her hand to her mouth, not believing she had just been dragging him along without even thinking about his condition.

"I'm so sorry Kaito", she said quickly seeing he was a bit pale.

He just smiled and shook his head.

"I'm fine, I just need to sit and take a break for a moment."

Shinara nodded as they walked over to a nearby bus bench and sat down on it. Kaito was breathing rather hard, but it soon evened out the longer they sat there, his eyes closed. She sat beside him, his hand in hers as she rubbed it, feeling bad she had put stress on him without even realizing it. She had just been excited about the idea of meeting Kaito's father that she hadn't been thinking.

"What did my mom say?" Kaito asked.

She almost missed his question as it was so random.

"When?"

"Just a moment ago when she pulled you aside. What did she say?"

"She just told me to watch out for you and to greet Toichi-san for her as well."

"I see", he mumbled.

"Why do you ask?"

"Nothing", he stated, his eyes still closed.

Shinara was silent for a moment before gathering the courage to ask another question.

"She seemed surprised you were taking me with you. Do you often go alone?"

"…" Kaito was silent for a moment before he sighed and opened his eyes to peer at her.

"I don't ever go", he finally replied, "I wasn't planning on going until the day I caught his killer and destroy Pandora once and for all."

"Then why are you taking me now? We don't have to go if…"

"No", interrupted Kaito as he shook his head, "I am going now because I want to. I have something important he needs to see."

"Oh?" she asked curiously.

He chuckled as he took her hand and stood up, leaning down to face her before she also could stand. He kissed her nose and smiled.

"You", he said and started down the street leaving her to catch up.

**KID POV**

Kaito stopped in front of the marble rock that held his father's name. One of the reasons he never came was because he knew his father wasn't here, but it still felt like he might be there, watching him.

"Father", he replied as he kneeled in the grass and snapped a rose into existence before the marble stone, just like his father had taught him to do so many years ago. He placed the rose in the empty vase in front of his fathers' name and smiled a sad, bittersweet smile. "I have someone for you to meet."

He took Shinara's hand in his and pulled her down to kneel beside him.

"This is Shinara Kudo, my girlfriend", he said as he smiled at the stone, imagining his father watching him, "Please, give us your blessing."

Shinara watched Kaito with fascination. She was worried about him, but she had never seen him act so serious before, complete respect on his part to his deceased father, the man she knew he loved and idolized.

"Please", she replied as she touched the rose in the vase, "give me your blessing to stand by your sons' side, as I love him dearly and won't ever leave it."

Kaito turned to her in surprise, but she ignored his look as she bowed her head in respect and then stood up before smiling down at Kaito who smiled back.

"Forever is an awful long time", he whispered as he held her hand, swinging it back and forth as they walked out of the graveyard.

"Yes, but I think with you…" she said stopping to face him, "Forever is barely a lifetime."

He grinned as he drew her to him and passionately kissed her. They probably would have stayed like that, enjoying the feel good moment, but it seemed fate had other plans for the happy couple.

"Long time no see, Kudo-san", said a voice.

Kaito and Shinara both jumped to see a familiar face standing just outside the graveyard gate.

"Bourbon", whispered Shinara in surprise, "I heard you escaped, but I thought you would be with your police unit."

"Change of plans has forced me to reconsider my options", he replied, "The boss of BO is back and he has your name being spread far and wide to bounty hunters and assassins everywhere, along with the name Kaitou Kid and Shiho Miyano."

Shinara unconsciously tightened her hold on Kid's hand when his name was mentioned. Bourbon noticed it and smiled as he glanced at the boy with her whose face was unreadable, even for someone like him who was trained to see everything.

"You must be Kaitou Kid", he said with a smile, "The Shiho Miyano imposter no doubt. Vermouth mentioned you. I just never expected you to be the son of Toichi Kuroba."

"You knew my dad?" Kaito asked in surprise.

"I did, but now is not the time for a discussion of this caliber. Do you have somewhere safe we can talk?"

"We can go to Professor Agasa's place. Sherry will want a word with you as well."

"So she is alive", he stated, not in the form of a question, "Please then, Ms. Kudo, lead the way."

Shinara did as requested, but Kaito kept an eye on the stranger called Bourbon the entire trip there and even after arrival, he refused to look away. There was something about this guy… something strange.

**AI POV**

To say Ai was surprised when Shinara walked in with both Kaito and Bourbon in tow, would be a horrible understatement. Ai was downright shocked. She stared at Bourbon who just stared back, both equally surprised by the others appearance.

"Long time no see, Sherry-san", he said with a smile.

She did not smile back, but she did turn to Shinara with a raised eyebrow, clearly waiting for answers.

"He said he has information about the boss of BO to share with us and he needed somewhere safe."

Ai sighed. She really didn't want to deal with this right now, but she would rather know about possible danger now than later when it happens.

"So start talking", she demanded.

He smiled and leaned forward, his chin resting on his hands.

"The BO boss is targeting you three. He has a headquarters not far from here in an underground facility where he, Korn, and Chianti are together trying to get others on their side. If you go after them now, you might just survive, but if you wait, they will surely grow exponentially in size. If that happens, you can almost bet most of you won't be coming back, because they won't let a trap like what happened before happen again once they're prepared."

"So what do we do?" asked Kaito.

"I have my own police force on hold, waiting to move in when I give the word. If I were you, get any allies you have together. You will need everyone if you want to stomp them into the ground without a single rat getting away again, unlike last time. I will watch for a while and when the timing is right, I will contact you. Sound good?"

"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Sherry with a glare.

"Like I know I can trust you, Sherry-san", he replied with a smile.

She deepened her glare, practically burning a hole through the man as he stood and walked towards the door. He stopped however and turned back to face her.

"You obviously don't like me Sherry-san. Why not?"

"Isn't that obvious. You were there when they killed my sister Akemi and you didn't stop them!"

Bourbon frowned, a pained look flittered across his face but it was so brief everyone thought they had imagined it. Everyone but Kaito who was the master of masks. He could see the pain behind the man's eyes and he finally understood why the man seemed to be feeling so nervous. He was nervous because he felt responsible for Ai's sisters' death. He had loved her and now he was afraid to face the only one who reminded him so much of her.

"You loved her, didn't you?" Kaito asked.

The man flicked his gaze at Kaito in surprise before lowering his head with a grim smile, "Yeah…I suppose I did."

"Then why!" yelled Sherry.

"I didn't know!" he yelled back, "I didn't know they were going to kill her. I wanted to protect her and protect you, but I couldn't … I didn't know. When they shot her, I couldn't move. I couldn't even register what had occurred until the others had left the room. I didn't want her to die…"

He sighed as he shook his head and rubbed his hands through his hair.

"I'm sorry, Shiho", he said looking at Ai, true grief blurring his vision as he begged her to hear him out, "I loved Akemi so much, but I couldn't…I couldn't protect her. I couldn't even protect you who they went after next. When I found out that they had killed you too…"

He stopped, his eyes squeezed shut. Ai watched him, her own heart softening at the pain she saw buried deep inside. She and her sister had spoken often and she knew her sisters feelings. Akemi too had been in love with the young man called Bourbon…no, she thought shaking her head mentally, she had been in love with the young man called Rei Furuya.

"Rei", Ai called and he looked up in surprise at the name, "Akemi loved you as well. I just think you should know that."

Rei didn't say anything as he lowered his head, frozen for a moment before giving a bow towards Ai and walking out, closing the door behind him, no doubt deep in grief.

Ai just smiled as she watched him walk down the sidewalk, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly. She had forgiven the one her sister loved…but she still had her own revenge to take before Ai would ever be satisfied for her sister's sake.

"Be prepared Chianti", Ai whispered as her gaze darkened, "I am coming for you."


	27. To Hold a Dove

**Chapter Twenty-six:**

**To Hold a Dove**

**SHINARA POV**

"Listen up people", demanded Jodie of the FBI as she slammed her hands onto the table in front of her, tired of the voices overlapping throughout the room, "This is our second planned takedown for the Black organization and there will not be a third! It was our fault that the boss escaped with a few of his agents and I will be darned if we allow him to build his crew up again! Shinara Kudo who was in charge of the last takedown is here with us again in person this time and we shall shut up! And respect what she has to say."

"Thank you Jodie-san", commented Shinara with a smile at her friend.

When Shinara had first thought about contacting the FBI for help again, she had been nervous to, considering the last time she had asked them to help, they had done so as a favor to her for a case she had worked on. However it was with prompting from Kaito and the others that she gave in and called her longtime acquaintance. Said acquaintance then proceeded to call her an idiot for worrying about the little things and that the favor she owed Shinara was not paid in full until the last of the Organization was caught and hauled off for life. After which, Shinara and the FBI called in all of their allies for one final move to put the stray dogs down as they should have been long ago.

"I thank you for once again partnering with me on this final strategy to take the boss of the Black Organization down for good. With the help of some inside contacts who have been acting on our side within the BO, we have been given the location of the boss and his allies. To clear some things up, I shall proceed to fill you in on literally everything we know."

She took a breath and glanced at Kaitou Kid who nodded, sending her a small smile in support as she smiled back and began her story. The officers listened to her intently as she told of the poison that an agent called Sherry created. She then went on to tell them how she herself was poisoned and became Christie Edogawa who most of them knew. She told them of Ai's poisoning and her efforts to find the cure and then she told them of everything leading up to the present day that she could about the boss and his agents.

"Kaitou Kid has kindly agreed to aid us once more, with our promise of a truce for the present time. He himself is a victim of the Black Organization and has come here today as an act of faith to tell us most of his own story."

**KID POV**

Kaito swallowed as he stood up and faced the room of officers who had at one time or another, tried to arrest him. Nakamori stood in one corner of the room and Megure in another. Hakuba, Harley, and Ai and Agasa stood at the far back, all of them watching Shinara and I closely. They had supported our decision to come clean about our life stories, with the exception of my own where I left a few details here and there out of the overall telling.

"My father was murdered several years ago by the Black Organization after they had hired him, the first Kaitou Kid, to steal a specific jewel. When my father figured out that the jewel was something that would give them power beyond imagination, he hid the jewel away from them and went into hiding. They found out his true identity and killed him in front of his family and his fans. His son…me…found out his identity as Kaitou Kid and took up the cape in order to lure out the killers and find the jewel his father was supposed to turn over to them, with the intent of destroying the jewel once and for all."

Kaito stopped and noticed Nakamori looked surrpsied, along with several others, but he could also feel the tension coming off of them. They didn't believe him.

"I am telling you this not as a thief coming to beg for forgiveness. I tell you this story because I wish to let you know that my intentions in coming here today are pure. I wish to take the Black Organization to the ground!"

Kaito froze after his yell and took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a second when he had let the anger of his fathers' murder get to him. Opening them again to see the concerned faces of Shinara and his friends in the back watching him, he smiled, his mask once again corrected.

"I am a thief and I will not act like I haven't been committing crimes for the past couple years, but I will say, please lend me your strength to take these people down who have ruined so many lives."

He gave a short bow and stepped out of the room. His heart was racing and the emotions he had tried to keep at bay for so long were overwhelming him. He sank to the ground outside the door of the conference room as he closed his eyes and took simple breaths. He needed to calm himself before going back in or he wouldn't be good to anyone.

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara was worried when Kaito left so abruptly after his speech, but she was the one running the meeting, so she didn't go after him. She instead went in front of them again and stared at the faces that seemed shocked about Kaitou Kid's plea for assistance.

"I think I should inform you all, for those who don't know; Kaitou Kid is currently a target of BO and another group of assassins called MKO who are responsible for killing his father. Kid has been hunting them for the past couple years in order to seek justice and has come very close multiple times. It was through our inside source, Bourbon, that we were able to gather information on MKO and found out that they were working hand in hand with and were being supplied by BO in order to find the jewel the first Kid had originally been hired to steal. I won't say that you must trust Kid, but I ask you to trust his motives just this once."

Some still looked doubtful, but she saw that most were willing to work with them for at least this one operation. Hakuba and Harley who were in the back noticed some of the still untrusting faces and both grew angry at their stubbornness.

"Someone like Kid doesn't just come into a police department and ask for assistance lightly", Hakuba said as he went up and stood beside Shinara, "I am willing to trust him in this case and when we are done, I will resume my chase of him."

"I don't think any of us here", said Harley also coming to stand beside them, "would do nothing if someone we loved was murdered and we had the opportunity to lure the killers out of hiding to bring them to justice. If someone like Kid can be so willing to tell us his life story in an effort to explain the situation a little more clearly, I am willing to honor that courage by at least giving him my temporary support in this one takedown against a bunch of very bad guys. Is it really so bad, to help a thief who has never hurt anyone, rather than stand back out of pride to let some killers go free?"

If there was any more doubt about anyone helping them in that room, that final question of Harleys kicked it to the curb.

A smack of a map and blueprints onto the table shook everyone out of their stupor and they all turned in surprise to Jodie Starling who grinned at them, a strange glint in her eye making them all swallow in anxiety.

"Now that we all are in agreement, shall we get down to business like adults?"

She was tired, of their childish pride.

**KID POV**

Kid sighed from his position on the roof of the police building. After he had nearly fainted in the hallway, a gentle push from Hakuba to go cool his head down had him going to the roof to escape all the unwanted attention he had seemed to be attracting. Staring at the moon had become something of a favorite pastime for him and while his mother didn't seem to understand why he enjoyed it so much, he just felt like the world was so much safer when all there was, was the gentle caress of the moons silver light.

A gentle coo from his right announced the presence of a single dove. His father had always used doves as messengers when acting as Kaitou Kid. He had never thought about doing it because the idea had never sounded good to him…until now. He smiled at the bird whose white wings flapped in the moonlight, a silver halo surrounding it, almost making it look heavenly.

"Are you my father's message to me?" he whispered to the small dove who looked quite young in age, "I'm surprised. It seems even he thought I needed some comfort tonight, huh, little guy?"

Kaito stretched out his hand slowly to the bird who stared at him strangely. He was honestly surprised when the bird jumped and landed on his hand and slowly crept up the boys arm. Slowly bending his arm in, trying not to startle the dove, he slowly reached down and began gently caressing the bird's white feathers.

_"__Kaito" _Toichi had whispered to the young Kaito Kuroba as he reached up to wipe the tears of his little son who was crying over him, _"Kaito. Do you remember what I always used to tell you when I found you crying?"_

_"__Y-you said n-not to cry…t-that Mama w-would be s-s-sad" _the young Kaito sobbed as he stared down at his father's quickly paling face.

_"__That's right Kaito. Crying is natural, but showing it to a woman in need of support is something that we must resist. Holding a woman is like holding a dove. To hold a dove Kaito, you must first hold your emotions within your grasp. Only then K-Kaito, can you call yourself a man."_

_"__Papa!"_

_"__I'm sorry Kaito. Take care of your m-mother for m-me and…"_ Toichi reached up and caressed his son's face, _"Be a child while you still can. Weep Kaito…then become…strong…"_

_"__Papa! Papa no!"_ The young Kaito wept as his father died on stage, a stage that literally set the fate of one young boy on fire as the child set out to reach for the moon.

"Papa", whispered Kaito with a smile as he stared up at the moon, his fingers still caressing the small white dove in his hands. "I finally did it papa", he whispered as the tears cascaded down his cheeks, "I finally did it…I learned…to hold a dove."

Kaito for the first time since that day when his father's life was stolen from him, grieved for the man who had been his everything and he swore on his own life, that he would soon allow his father to truly rest in peace.

"Am I…a true man now, father?" Kaito asked and smiled into the moon as the tears fell silently to the ground.

The only thing that could be heard that night on the roof of police headquarters, beneath the silver rays of the moonlit sky, was the gentle cooing of a small white dove. 


	28. Takedown Part One

**Chapter Twenty-Seven:**

**Takedown Part 1**

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara smiled in relief when she saw Kaito re-enter the conference room. They had just decided to take a break and allow everyone a moment to stretch and get some coffee when he had decided to rejoin the meeting.

"You alright?" she asked, noticing his eyes were slightly redder than they had been.

He didn't look at her, but he gave a nod and she sighed in relief before wrapping a gentle arm around his waist and pulled him against her. She kissed his cheek and nuzzled his neck as he gave in and wrapped his arms around her, enjoying the feeling of her breath against his skin.

"I'm sorry I left like I did", he muttered, glancing around to make sure no one was seeing them like this. He didn't need the cops to doubt Shinara because of him.

"It's alright. All of us understand that telling them that was hard on you", she said reaching up and brushing his bangs out of his eyes beneath the white top hat, "If it makes you feel any better, they all agreed to work with you. They understand why you decided to take up the cape, even if they don't all agree with it."

Kaito sighed in relief, glad to hear his talk had worked. Shinara smiled against his chest. The others had already asked her not to tell Kaito that they had spoken up on his behalf. They knew he wouldn't have wanted them putting themselves in such a tight spot for him. After all, can you ever truly trust a detective who shows sentiment to a criminals actions? Some could and some couldn't, but it was their decision to make, not his, even if he wanted to think differently on the matter.

Shinara reluctantly pulled away from his warm embrace when she noticed the shadows of some people moving closer towards the door of the conference room. Kaito let her go, also seeing them and moved stealthily to the back corner where he decided he would watch the rest of the proceedings.

**JODIE POV**

It was easy to see the connection between the four teens in the back of the room quite easily if you looked for it. However if you saw them merely as Detectives and thief, one would easily miss the way they looked at one another or touched one another without anyone noticing the movement. She especially noticed the closeness between Kaitou Kid and Shinara Kudo. As an FBI agent, perhaps she should have found the relationship disturbing, but as a woman who had once been a girl in love herself, she found it rather endearing. Still, she could see from their looks that they all meant business and that personal feelings wouldn't come into play during the operation. For this reason alone, did she decide not to call them out on that relationship. Of course, she wouldn't have done it in public as it would have permanently branded Kudo-chan, but she would have had a long talk with the both of them in private.

"We will have seven different teams in this operation. The set up will be like this: Team One will be led by Shinara Kudo, consisting of Harley Hattori, Saguru Hakuba, Ai Haibara, Richard Mouri, and Hiroshi Agasa. Team Two will consist of Kaitou Kid and his assistants. Team Three will consist of myself and the rest of the FBI. Team Four will consist of Chief Megure and his police force of Tokyo. Team Five will consist of Chief Kazuha and his police force. Team Six will consist of Nakamori-san and his task force and Team Seven will consist of Bourbon who is our inside contact and the secret police and CIA who will be moving in at his command. Does everyone understand who they are with? Good! Now let's move people, our operation commences in twelve hundred hours!"

DCDCDCDCDCDC

**Note*** for those who don't know military time (like me) twelve hundred hours literally means 12 hours

DCDCDCDCDCDC

**BOURBON POV**

Rei stood in the back corner of the room in the shadows as his boss and some of the other agents, including Korn and Chianti went over things. He knew they were discussing the boss's plans of assassination. Chianti wanted Sherry, badly, but Bourbon would be dead before he would ever let that happen. Not that they needed to know his feelings relating to that topic. Korn wanted Shinara Kudo. Not so much that he had a bone to pick with her, but more like he wanted to win over the boss' favor and to do so in the easiest way possible was to kill the thorn in the boss' side.

"You don't look very happy, Bourbon", commented Vermouth who had just walked up beside him.

He glanced at the woman and then shook his head. He was a member of the secret police and while he wanted to take everyone who is part of BO down, Vermouth was an exception that if left to him, he would overlook. She had her hand in plenty of illegal acts, but she had done so while working with him from the inside and supplying him invaluable information. Information such as the exact location of their new headquarters that even he had been blind folded on before being driven here.

"I'm all kittens and roses, Vermouth", he commented sarcastically with a smirk. Vermouth just smiled back, bemused by his current attitude.

"What's the matter handsome?" she mock pouted as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "you seem a bit too uptight. Don't tell me you're getting cold feet about tonight's plans?"

"Of course not and you should be more quiet", Bourbon whispered as he glanced at the boss and other agents who were chatting over the open files, "Last thing I need is for something to go wrong before we even start the operation."

"Aw, you scared?" she questioned, an amused glint in her eye that made him somewhat nervous.

"Course not", he muttered turning his head away.

Vermouth just grinned.

"Sure baby, sure", she whispered with a laugh as she walked towards the table, sending a wink his way before wrapping her arms around the boss who leaned back against her.

Bourbon would never understand what truly goes through her mind, but he did know one thing…if it was something she desired, she was as trustworthy as anyone could be, because that woman always got what she wanted, no matter what.

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara watched through the binoculars for any movement around the building they were currently surrounding. Her team was waiting behind her, ready to move as soon as the word was given. Considering most of them were targets of the Organization, it made sense that they would be one of the last to move in, but Shinara wasn't going to let the boss get away again, even if she had to go after him personally.

_"__Meitantei-chan~" _Came the sing song voice of Kaitou Kid.

It was a little strange to have him calling her that again after such a long period of time getting to know each other personally. There was only a handful of people who knew who Kaitou Kid was and an even smaller number who knew that he and Shinara were dating.

_"__What's wrong Kid-San?" _Asked agent Jodie over the headset.

_"__I wanted to tell Kudo that I have eyes on Bourbon. He is on the roof and I believe he knows where I am."_

"He can see you?" Shinara asked, a bad feeling in her gut.

_"__I don't know, but he is peering this way. I don't think…th…he…kn…hea…me?"_

_"__Kid-San, repeat?"_

"…"

"Kid?" asked Shinara as only static came over the line.

_"__We have lost contact with the Kid Division. Can everyone else hear me?"_

A barrage of yeses filtered through the channel as Shinara looked over at Kid's location. She couldn't see him, but something told her that his ruined communication might be planned. Still, she hoped he knew what he was doing.

**KID POV**

Kaito grinned as he dropped onto the roof beside Bourbon. The communications going down were actually not his doing, but he had a feeling he knew exactly who did it and why.

"You rang~?" sang Kaito as he appeared behind Bourbon.

Rei smiled as he turned to face the phantom thief.

"Forgive me if I cut you off from an important discussion, however I needed to talk to you before the operation commences."

"Isn't this rather a bold place to meet?" asked Kaito as he glanced around.

"I would say yes normally, however with the arrival of MKO, I was moved to temporary roof surveillance and won't be called back in until they finish their meeting. Before that, I wanted to ask you a question."

"Oh~", sang Kaito with a smile, hiding his trepidation, "What might that be, Bourban-san?"

"Toichi Kuroba", the man said and Kaito stiffened involuntarily, "That is really your father, right?"

"It was", Kaito admitted, knowing full well that Rei knew this fact, "What about him?"

"I was reading over the BO file on him and when I ran into snake, he had some…opinions about him that I found rather intriguing."

Kaito's eyes hardened as he steeled himself for whatever else Bourbon might say to him. He didn't take kindly to people badmouthing his father.

"Forgive me thief-san", said Bourbon shaking his head, "I did not mean to insinuate anything offensive. Merely, I wished to tell you something."

"So tell", Kaito snapped.

Rei grinned as he stepped forward and pulled a letter out of his back pocket.

"This, is a letter written by Toichi Kuroba to Vermouth a couple days before his death. I will give it to you, if you do one thing for me."

"Which is?" asked Kaito, eyeing the letter.

"I want you to kill Snake when you catch up to him. He can't be allowed to live."

"You want me to m-murder him?"

"And in exchange I will give you the final letter of your father, which possibly holds the location of Pandora."

"How do I even know that letter is real?"

"You don't thief-san, but I assume you will do what I ask?"

"When I finish it, you must hand it and whatever information you have on my father over to me."

Bourbon smiled and nodded.

"Very well. A deal?"

"A Deal", Kaito said as he turned and jumped from the rooftop.

**SHINARA POV**

"It's time people. We commence in 5…4…3…2…1…move in!"

Shinara, Hakuba, Harley, Ai, Agasa, and Richard Mouri didn't hesitate to move when the command was given. Mouri and Agasa stayed further in the back as they were running the communication channels to coordinate their team position with the other squads. Shinara, Harley, Hakuba, and Ai however knew where they were going. The time had come to finish what they had started and they weren't waiting around to see if it worked or not.

"Ai, with me! Hakuba and Harley, take left. Keep in contact!"

"Right!"

Shinara ran through the halls as shouts and gunfire filled the building with echoes of different confrontations. Outside, Shinara could just faintly hear the sound of the helicopters waiting overhead. Beside her, Ai was also running and she knew exactly who she was looking for. 'Chianti' Ai chanted in her head as she made her way to the main room.

The scene upon entering was exactly what Shinara had always imagined it would be. The table where the meeting had been commencing was filled with agents who looked dumbstruck by the arrival of the police. However Shinara noticed there were key members missing from the count: The boss, Chianti, Snake, Korn, Bourbon, and Vermouth.

"Not again", she growled and shot past the police and right past Jodie who had called out to her. She wasn't going to stop, not now, not when they were so close!

Shinara kept running down the hall, but what she had failed to notice was that the cameras were following her and in the security room, grinning and watching, was the boss.

"Chianti dear, take care of our unwanted little guest", he said pointing at Ai who was running behind Shinara, "And Korn, do not fail me again."

The two agents gave a bow as they took off out the door.

"Soon Detective, soon we shall meet."

"I have my own hunt to do", stated Snake as he walked out, he knew somewhere around here, Kaitou Kid was located and he would find him and stop him once and for all.

"Follow him Bourbon", said the boss as he watched Snake, he didn't like the man.

"Yes Boss", Rei replied with a grin that he hid until he stepped out of the room, "my lucky day."

He turned and walked towards the way Chianti had gone. He too, had his own hunt.

The boss of BO watched Bourbon leave the room before glancing at Vermouth who stood smirking over his shoulder. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know too much Vermouth", he replied as he stood up and stepped towards her. He grabbed her neck roughly as he kissed her on the mouth with passion. She didn't pull away, but she didn't lean into the motion either. He stopped and stared at her and she stared back, their faces unreadable until he smiled, "be careful to not get caught."

She smirked and gave a short nod before she followed him out of the room and towards their escape hatch.

"Better hurry Silver Bullet", she mentally thought as she walked, "Before it's too late."


	29. Takedown Part Two

**Chapter Twenty-Eight:**

**Takedown Part 2**

**AI POV **

Ai had been following Shinara rather closely until she noticed a presence to the right of them. Shinara didn't seem to sense the danger, but Ai knew exactly who it was and she slowed to a stop before darting the opposite direction of Shinara. She had her own bone to pick and she would do it her way.

"Where do you think you are going, little Rose Bud?" asked Chianti as she grinned down at the girl beneath her hiding place, "Don't you know you're going to die?"

"I might, but I can promise you one thing Chianti-chan, I will be bringing you down with me…for Akemi."

"Well, well, so you truly didn't die Sherry. I'm so glad I have the chance to see you again", she said smirking as she jumped down behind the girl and watched with amusement as the small eight year old flipped around and glared at her, "Even if you are rather…small."

"No thanks to you", Sherry spat, "Why did you kill Akemi!"

"Why not!" yelled Chianti with a laugh, "She was always a goodie-goodie who did nothing but turn the boss against me. She needed to die."

If looks could kill, Chianti would be dead a hundred times over as Ai glared at her with every fiber of hate she held for the female assassin before her.

"Oh please, admit it Sherry-san, you also didn't like your sister. You ignored her daily and even spoke against her to the boss. What do you care if I killed that good for nothing?"

"She was MY sister!" yelled Ai angrily, "Of course I loved her! She was a goodie-goodie just as you said, but she was also an innocent! She didn't deserve to die and she definitely didn't need to be favored by the boss. We all know…how the boss's favorites got treated in the end."

Chianti frowned, her smile turning into a scowl.

"You dare to talk bad about the boss, Sherry!"

"I don't just dare, Chianti" smirked Sherry, "I am."

"Enough!" yelled Chianti raising her weapon, "Time to die Sherry."

"You first" spat Ai as she grabbed a smoke bomb she had 'borrowed' from Kid and threw at the ground. The smoke exploded around them and while Chianti fired blind into the thick cover, Ai pulled a knife from her jacket. The gun went off and Ai surged forward at the same time. The bullet grazed her arm as she dug the knife into Chianti's thigh causing the assassin to scream out in pain as she dropped to the ground, holding her wound, her face contorting into a rage.

"You!" growled Chianti as she pulled the gun up and grabbed hold of Ai's wrist before the small girl could move back. Ai panicked as the gun stopped in front of her face. "Die!"

A single shot was fired.

Ai kept her eyes closed until the sound died away and she opened them in bewilderment to see Chianti staring at her. She stared back unblinking as blood began to run out of the assassins mouth and a red patch in the middle of her shirt began to bloom bigger and brighter. "Y-you", Chianti whispered as she glanced up above Ai's head, "Traitor", she mumbled and died, her eyes open as she stared once again at the girl before her, the target she had been chasing since the day they had met all those years ago.

"Why did you save me", Ai whispered.

"I told you…" the deep voice said as he turned to walk away, "I made a promise."

The footsteps quieted as her savior faded into the darkness.

"Fool", she muttered and leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes.

"It's done sis…forgive me", Ai said as she wept, "Please…forgive me for failing you, Akemi."

Ai just sat there and cried; her wails the only sound in that entire section.

**KID POV**

Kaito watched as his assistants moved into the building. They were all watching and lying in wait in different areas in case anyone made their way out. They would not allow such an organization to escape again. Kid was located at the top of the building where he was lock picking a vent to break into the facility. He had two guards posted behind him to keep any unwanted intruders out of his way, so it was a great surprise to him when he felt the cold metal of a gun touching the back of his head.

"Kaitou Kid", spat Snake as he glared at the boy in white in front of him, "Your time has come."

Kid stood up calmly and turned to face snake, an easy smile on his face that hid his inner fear.

"Snakey-san~" Kaito said with a large, fake grin, "What an unpleasant surprise."

Snake just glared harder.

"Tell me the location of Pandora!" Snake demanded.

"I am afraid I do not know its location" Kid said with a sigh, "but then I believe you already know that, don't you?"

Snake smirked as he lowered his gun just slightly.

"I wanted you to lead me to it", Snake said, "but I am growing tired of waiting for you to locate a simple jewel. Surely your father left you a clue."

"Perhaps he did", said Kid as he thought of the letter Bourbon offered him, "however I am sadly, currently, not the owner of the given clue."

Snake frowned.

"Who has it then?" asked Snake.

"A friend of yours actually", commented Kid with a grim smile, "Someone the name of a drink. Hmm…let's see…what was his name…Ice Tea? No not that. Milk? No, no. Um…"

"Stop wasting my time!" thundered Snake, "give it to me or die now where you stand!"

"What a horrible thing to say Snake-san", pouted Kid as he glanced around, looking for a possible escape, "We all know you will kill me anyways."

Snake grinned as he nodded, "True, but first, I might just make you tell me what you can before I kill you."

"Oh and how will you do that?" asked Kaito, his grin fading as he backed up to the edge of the roof. He could see the ocean below as well as several windows. He didn't have his glider prepared yet, so he knew the only choice he had was to jump and hope he survived the fall.

"Simple. Like this", said Snake as he fired his gun at Kaito's leg.

Kaito saw it coming and let himself fall over the edge at the same time as the shot, but he had been late and felt the bullet enter his calf as he fell. He grimaced, but concentrated as he fell. He knew it would hurt, what he was about to do, but he couldn't fall into the ocean. There were too many rocks down below and he knew if he hit those, he definitely wouldn't live.

"Wish me luck, Shin-chan", he muttered as he reached his hands out and slammed into the edge of the window, barely grabbing the frame as his body jerked to a stop and his right shoulder dislocated.

Kaito ground his teeth as he pulled himself up the best he could and broke through the window, rolling onto the floor below. He thought he was safe until he came face to face with another gun.

"Well, well", muttered the assassin, "Look what we have here."

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara had been running a while before she realized that Ai was no longer with her, but she didn't have time to stop and try to go back and find her. She kept racing forward, knowing if she wanted to catch the boss, she had to keep moving. She was just about to the staircase leading to the lower levels when a crash caught her attention. She had been feeling someone watching her as she had been running through the halls, but the crash seemed to have caused whoever it was to turn their attention away. Her instincts kept telling her to run away from the presence, but something else told her to follow it, so she did.

Shinara crept in the shadows as she moved towards the presence of the one who had been chasing her and she stopped cold when she saw the scene before her from the door that she was currently hiding behind.

"Kaito", she whispered in surprise.

Kaito was lying on the floor, his leg and head bleeding and he was clutching his right shoulder as he stared down the barrel of a sniper rifle.

"Well, well", muttered the assassin she knew to be Korn, "Look what we have here."

Kaito winced as he stood up shakily, his knees knocking as he glared at the assassin before him.

"I must admit, you are not the one I wanted, but I suppose the phantom thief would suffice as well", the man laughed as he stared the boy down and raised his gun, taking aim.

Kaito closed his eyes as he prepared to face his fate.

"Korn!" yelled Shinara busting into the room.

The man in question swung around with his gun as Kaito snapped his eyes open and saw the assassin now taking aim at Shinara.

"No!" he shouted and dove towards the assassin, the guns aim being thrown off at the last second as Kaito topped the man beneath him and began punching with all he could muster into his left hand.

"Kaito", said Shinara seeing the rare rage the teen was showing, "Kaito. Kaito!"

Kaito stopped, his fist still raised above the bloody assassin as he looked up at Shinara who smiled back at him.

"It's okay", she whispered, "I'm okay."

Kaito stared at her a moment longer before nodding and getting to his feet rather shakily. She moved forward and grabbed his arm as she stabilized him.

"Pathetic", muttered a voice from the doorway.

Kaito and Shinara jumped as Snake walked in, staring down at the bloody and beaten assassin now lying on the floor. He walked over and kicked the assassin with his shoe as he glowered at Kaito and Shinara.

"I knew BO was just a bunch of talk", the man muttered with a wry grin, "This just proves it."

"I don't know where the jewel is Snake!" yelled Kaito as he leaned on Shinara, his white top hat missing and his monocle gleaming in the light. The entire left pant leg of his white suit was bloodied, as was the collar of his jacket from the blood running down his face. His arm pinned to his side as he grimaced and stared at the man who had taken everything from him. He wouldn't allow him to take anything else.

Snake watched the boy step protectively in front of the girl. He wasn't here for her though and he didn't care if she ran. He only wanted the boy who had caused him so many difficulties.

"I think our rivalry has finally come to an end, boy-o", Snake mused with a smirk.

"I do believe it has", said Kaito as he glanced down at Korn and noticed a small silver pistol hidden in the back of his coat.

"Time to finally be out of my hair!"

Snake pulled his gun as Kaito shoved Shinara away from himself and dove to the ground. He wrapped his hand around the hilt as he raised the pistol and pulled the trigger. Simultaneously both guns discharged and both stared with surprised expressions at the other.

"Kaito!" screamed Shinara rushing forward as she caught her boyfriend as he collapsed to the floor. He sat there, shaking as Shinara looked him over for any sign that he may have been hit, but she couldn't find anything. His skin was white and his face blank, his body trembling and she realized that he was going into shock.

"Kaito", she whispered to him, but he didn't seem to hear her. "Kaito", she said gently again as she put her forehead against his. She held his face between her hands as she felt the both of them breathe, his pulse flowing beneath her fingers. She smiled as she stared into his eyes.

"Kaito, I'm here. It's over, snake is dead."

Kaito blinked as he stared up at Shinara and then back down at Snake. He looked at the gun in his hand and tossed it to the side angrily. He had killed him…he had murdered someone…he…

"Kaito, look at me. It wasn't murder, it was self-defense. Had you not killed him, he would have killed both of us. Look at me love, it wasn't murder."

Kaito nodded, but it didn't change the fact that he had still taken a life. He had killed a man and he would have to live with it.

"It's not over yet", Kaito whispered, "Did you catch the boss?"

Shinara shook her head.

"Then let's not waste time."

He stood up and looked down at Snake once more before moving towards the door. Shinara watched him, her heart hurting at the pain he must be feeling before following after him. She took his hand in her own and sent him a gentle smile. He didn't smile back, but he did sigh before glancing one more time to the body behind them.

"Sorry dad", he whispered, "at least now, you can rest in peace."

The door closed as the two teens walked away hand in hand.


	30. Takedown Part Three

**Chapter Thirty:**

**Takedown Part 3 Final**

**HAKUBA POV**

Hakuba and Harley ran down the corridor. They had heard the gunfire coming from all parts of the building, but they didn't let themselves slow even once. They knew what they needed to do and that was chase down the boss who had fled the security room that Hakuba had tracked him to.

"Here!" yelled Harley pointing at a trap door, "He must have gone this way."

"Let's move then", Hakuba said as he climbed down, Harley following close behind.

The sound of an engine caught their attention. 'A boat!' they both thought and sped up. The river flowing beneath the base led them to the bunkhouse where sure enough, a man and a woman were boarding a speed boat. The man glanced back before grabbing the wheel and starting the boat up. The woman just smirked.

"Freeze!" yelled Hakuba as he raised the gun FBI agent Sterling had given him earlier.

The boat didn't slow as its occupants looked smugly back at them.

"Over here!" yelled Harley as she jumped into another smaller speedboat that she found covered in the back corner of the dock, "Get in!"

Hakuba didn't need to be told twice as he jumped in the back just as Harley hit the gas and sped after the other.

"You know how to drive this thing?" asked Hakuba as he watched her.

"Err…mostly?" she said with a sideways grin.

Hakuba closed his eyes and shook his head.

"You weren't supposed to answer the question with a question", he muttered, "just don't kill us!"

"Yeah, yeah", yelled Harley with a laugh as the boat spun, "hold on Sherlock, we are going all out!"

Hakuba paled as the boat revved up and literally lifted its front off of the water's surface. He just knew he was going to die today and it was going to be all because of this crazy woman.

Harley just laughed as she glanced back and noticed Hakuba holding onto the chair he was sitting on for dear life. What a pansy, she thought with a smirk as she turned her attention back to the boat in front of her. She had promised to help Shinara stop BO for good and she wasn't about to stop now because of a little water.

"Yee-ha!" she shouted and smiled as the wind swept past her hair, her eyes wide with delight as the boat she was on jumped across the waves.

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara held onto Kaito around the waist as they glided through the sky. The wind felt good against her skin, but she noticed Kaito shivering a bit beneath her, the blood no doubt chilling him.

"You going to make it?" she yelled into his ear, trying to make her voice heard above the wind.

"Do you even need to ask?" he replied back, but she knew he hadn't actually said yes or no. Probably wasn't going to even if she pushed him for an answer. He was stubborn like that.

"There it is!" she shouted pointing to where two boats were speeding across the water.

"Is that Hakuba?" asked Kaito in surprise as he stared at the first boats passengers.

Shinara glanced down only to burst out laughing at the face the male detective was making. He looked like he was going to be sick. Kaito giggled beneath her, making her smile wider as he swerved closer to the boat.

"Hakuba!" shouted Kaito as loud as he could.

The detective glanced up and gaped as he locked eyes with Kaito and Shinara who were literally only a few feet above boat, hanging from Kids' glider.

"Nice driving Hattori!" shouted Shinara with a wide smile.

Harley glanced back and laughed when she saw Shin and Kid right above them.

"Thanks Kudo", she joked back as she turned to look at the boat in front of them again. She glanced back up at her two friends in the sky and saw their determined faces. "Just don't die, ya?"

Kudo glanced down at her and nodded, a small smile tugging her face. "Yeah."

The two shared a look before Kaito and Shinara shot forward towards the other boat. Hakuba and Harley watched with mixed feelings.

"Kaito! Get closer!" yelled Shinara as she prepared herself to jump into the boat.

Kaito did as requested. It was hard to move as he wanted to because of his injuries, but he forced himself to bear the pain as he pushed his glider with everything he had as he rode the wind currents.

"See you down there", she muttered into his ear before she leapt from his back and landed on the back of the boat, raising her gun as Vermouth and the boss raised their own.

"Detective", said the boss with a grin, "how good of you to join us."

"Silence", Shinara snapped, "stop the boat."

"I am afraid I cannot do that", the boss said as he pushed the stick forward as far as it could go, "our lives are in the hands of fate."

"Kid, now!" shouted Shinara.

The boss and Vermouth looked up to see Kaitou Kid drop down from above them as he rolled and shoved the boss beneath him. Vermouth watched the fight with only slight interest as she turned to look back over at Shinara.

"Silver Bullet", commented Vermouth, "It took you a while."

"Sorry Vermouth", Shin replied with a frown, "it's time for this game to come to an end."

Vermouth grinned as she nodded and turned to the boss who was overpowering Kaito. The man slammed his foot into Kid's ribs as the teen coughed in pain.

"Stop!" shouted Shinara.

The man turned back to her and wiped his face where blood was running down from his mouth. He stared at Shinara with hate as he grabbed his gun from the floor and pointed it at her.

"I'm tired of you kids ruining my plans!" he shouted as the sound of a bullet pierced the air.

Shinara and the boss both turned to stare in shock at Vermouth who smiled coolly as she lowered her gun. She walked up to the boss and gently put her arms around him as she kissed him on the lips, his eyes still watching her.

"Sorry my dear", she whispered, "but you lose."

The boss gasped as he collapsed to the ground holding his stomach where a large amount of red bloomed like a giant red flower. Vermouth just smiled as she watched his eyes fade of life and then she turned to Kudo and grinned.

"I lose Detective", she said with a smile, "shall we place out bets on what happens next?"

Shinara didn't get the chance to respond as the boat hit land and flipped over, rolling as its occupants within were thrown around. When the boat finally came to rest, it had rolled an approximate number of seven times.

**HAKUBA POV**

Hakuba and Harley watched in horror as the boat containing both Kaito and Shinara flipped onto land and rolled, its occupants rolling along with it until it finally came to a halt.

"Shinara!" they yelled, "Kaito!"

Hakuba hit the ground running as he sped towards the crashed boat, Harley right behind him.

"Kaito!"

"Shinara!"

Hakuba slid to the ground beside the boat as he ran up on it. He yelled beneath the edge for anyone inside to answer him back, but he heard nothing.

"Do you think that they…" started Harley.

"No!" shouted Hakuba as he stared at the boat in horror, "No, they aren't dead!"

"Kaito, answer me!" he screamed.

"Shinara!" Harley yelled out.

A pained cough attracted their attention from behind the rocks a few feet to the right of the crashed vessel. The two ran towards the coughing as they climbed the rocks and stared down the incline to where two bodies laid side by side. One of them moved a little while the other remained still.

"Kaito! Shin!" they yelled.

"H-Hakuba", came the reply.

"Kaito!" he shouted as he slid down the incline, not caring that his legs were being scraped up. Harley followed him down, both stopping short at the sight that met them. Shinara and Kaito laid side by side, their eyes closed but each with a gentle smile on their faces.

"Is it…finally over?" asked Shinara in a whispered voice.

"Yeah", Kaito replied as he took her hand from where it laid beside his own, "Finally."

"Are you guys okay?" asked Harley as she kneeled beside Shinara, looking her over for injuries.

The two looked pretty beaten up and Kaito seemed to be the worse of the two, but for a crash as bad as the one they had just been in, they didn't look overly worse for wear.

"I think we will live, right?" he asked gripping her hand tighter.

Shinara opened her eyes and looked over at Kaito who looked right back. The two of them stared into each other's eyes before a small smile graced their lips.

"Right", she whispered.

Hakuba sighed in relief as he watched the two breathe, both still alive and both as good as they could be considering the circumstances.

"What a day", he muttered as he collapsed next to Kaito on the rocks.

Kaito chuckled as a cough escaped him. Hakuba just smiled as Harley grinned at the scene. She shook her head and laid down beside the three whom she had become so close with.

"Finally", they all thought, "It's really, truly over."


	31. Conclusion

**Chapter Thirty-one:**

**Conclusion**

**SHINARA POV**

Shinara stared out the window of the hospital as she thought about everything that had happened in the past three months. She had tried to take down BO only to fail. She had returned to her rightful body and had met Kaitou Kid as herself only to start dating the boy. She had been a part of a ghost story as well as a kidnapping and now she had finally finished her life goal of taking BO and MKO down for good as it should have been in the first place. The boss was dead, Snake was dead, Chianti was dead and there was no sign of the Black Organization ever coming back again. Bourbon had returned to the secret police to take his rightful place as Captain of his own department. Vermouth's body was never found and Shinara was sure she was still alive, but she knew she had nothing to worry about from the assassin. It was her loss and Vermouth wasn't one to seek revenge. As for Kaitou Kid, he had vanished in the aftermath of the takedown. There were rumors that he had died in the operation, while others said that he was merely biding his time until his grand return. Only those who really knew Kid however, were aware of the real story.

Bourbon had kept his end of the bargain and after seeing the body of Snake, he handed over the last letter that Kaito's father had ever written anyone. Kid had taken the letter, but never said a word, the pain and guilt of the life he had taken still lingering in his eyes. Jii and Chikage had taken Kaito away for a while to get treated for his injuries away from prying eyes with the excuse of a family vacation. As for me, I was patiently waiting for his return.

A knock on my door took me from my thoughts as I watched Ai stick her head around the corner.

"I just got word that Korn and the others who survived the operation have been charged with murder on several accounts as well as terrorism. Korn and four others got the death penalty and the rest won't ever see the light of day again."

Shinara turned her head away to look out the window. The sunset making her feel warmer as she curled in on herself.

"I can't believe it's finally over", she whispered.

"Shinara."

Shin turned to look at Ai who had moved closer, her head hanging low.

"What's wrong Ai?" Kudo asked curiously. It was rare to see her friend acting like this.

"I…" Ai huffed as she looked up and smiled the gentlest smile that Shinara had ever seen her friend give before. "Thank you."

Kudo smiled warmly at her as she stretched out her hand and took the small adult turned child's into her own.

"Thank you…for never giving up on me", said Shinara, "I couldn't have made it this far without you."

"Don't I know it", Ai snickered and Shinara laughed, but the two held each other's gaze as they smiled knowingly. Everything between them was understood and to them, it needed no words spoken aloud.

**1 week later…**

It was two weeks after the takedown of BO and Shinara was lying in her bed at home, the window open to allow the moonlight into her small room. The gentle breeze swept a warm caress around her body and she smiled contently, her dreams turning to that of a tall, dark and handsome knight in a suit of white.

"Kaito…" she whispered in her sleep.

A gentle hand reached out and smoothed down her hair as she slept. He smiled as he took in her silk nightgown that seemed to shine in the light of the moon.

"My angelic dove", he whispered as he thought of the bird he had found on the roof all those nights ago and smiled.

He knelt beside her bed and pressed his lips against her own, softly and kindly as she blinked her in surprise, blue meeting indigo. She continued to lay there, looking into his eyes as they both smiled, their faces only centimeters apart.

"Welcome home, Kaito", she whispered as she reached out and touched his face.

He smiled as he leaned into her touch.

"I'm home again, Shin-chan", he whispered back.

She leaned forward, capturing his lips with her own as she dropped back onto the bed. He followed her down, a battle of passions warring within them as they tried to express their love the best they could to one another.

"What took you so long, idiot Kaito", she whispered again as she nuzzled his neck.

"I'm sorry", he whispered back as he kissed her ear and down her neckline, "I used my father's letter to track a location to where the jewel may be."

She stopped and looked up at him in surprise.

"You think you might actually find it this time?" she asked with hope.

He smiled and nodded as he took her hand and kissed each finger.

"I think so", he grinned.

She ran her fingers through his hair and took in the scent of vanilla that drifted from him, a sweet, charming scent that made her smile.

"When you find the jewel…what will you do?" she asked.

He froze for a moment before a small smile graced his lips, "Kaitou Kid will end", he replied.

"That's it?" she asked, "What about…"

His lips pressed against her own, stopping her flow of questions that had started to come out. She wanted to know what he planned to do in the future. She wanted to know if he would continue magic. She wanted to know…if he would be with her…forever.

"The future is a never ending spiral of time", he whispered as he pulled her into his arms, her head laying on his shoulder, "And I would love it, if you would stay by my side through it all."

She looked up at him, her eyes widening as he slipped off the side of the bed and knelt in front of her. He opened a small white box and displayed a small white gold ring with a single rose shaped diamond.

"I know we still have a year before we graduate and perhaps longer for college", he said as his face reddened, "but I would love it if after we graduate, at some point, you would spend the rest of your life with me?"

She stared at him and at the ring, before the tears started slipping down her cheeks. Her shoulders shook as he gaped, his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"I-I'm sorry", he choked as he started to stand up, "I wasn't trying to…I didn't mean to…"

Her hand grasped his white coat as she shook her head emphatically, roughly yanking him down beside her on the bed, his eyes trying and failing to hide the pain of rejection.

"I…" she stuttered as the tears continued to flow, "I'm so happy", she whispered.

"Huh?" he asked stunned and terribly confused.

"I didn't think…I thought you wouldn't want me around anymore", she said as she tried to fight for control of her emotions, "I thought that maybe…me being around would be too painful a memory for you. I thought…"

He grabbed her to him, an embrace so tight that she could hardly breathe by the time he pulled back a little. He stared into her face, his eyes the most serious she had ever seen them.

"I love you, Shinara Kudo", he said as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger, "I love you and I will never not want you around. You…You are the only thing in this world I truly have left. You are my most precious jewel."

Kudo sobbed a laugh as she wiped her tears and stared up at him through blurry eyes, "I love you too…Kaito Kuroba."

That night, Lady Fate smiled down upon a detective and a thief who no longer feared what the future might hold for them. Instead, two hearts became one as they made a promise that would last longer than a lifetime. A promise of never-ending love.


	32. Final Note From Author

**AUTHORS FINAL THOUGHTS:**

Hey guys, this was a fun ride I had with you! I really hope you all liked _To Hold a Dove_ and I want you to know that I am thinking of writing a sequel to this story.

Please leave a review telling me your overall thoughts on this story and if you would like to see another one done about Kaito and Shinara!

Thanks, it was a pleasure writing this for such awesome readers! Please keep reading my stories and look forward to _Bloody Rose_ and a possible sequel to, _To Hold a Dove_, coming soon. ;)

Chow!

DaLantis

Take a look at "My Little Meitantei" if you have a moment. I may be doing more one shots here and there, but I did this one for a special reason. Let me know what you think! Thanks!


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